Of Saviors and Sinners
by FlyingMintBunnyCosplay
Summary: Lovino and Feliciano. Romano and Veneziano. Something dark is stirring, an ancient grudge dating back to the fall of Lucifer. When strange things begin happening the twins are caught up in a war that has been raging for centuries. And they're the prize. They hold the world in their hands. They just don't know it. Bad summary... Gerita, Spamano, ect...
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia. Not a single bit. I wish I did, though...**

**Prologue**

**A village in North Italy, near Venice**

The night air was filled with the sound of terrified screams. The old villa which had stood for decades through war and famine was now burning, the flames dancing merrily; unaware of the chaos they created. The villagers had gathered around, not a single one moving to help. Instead, they watched. Watched as the flames ate up the outside walls and turned the stones black. They watched as the western half collapsed in on itself, unable to stand against the flames. And they laughed. Laughed and celebrated, for the monsters that had brought the famine upon them were now vanquished.

Among the madness of the fire, two young boys were watching their whole life crash down around them. They watched as their grandfather, their nonno, broke down the nursery door where they lay. They watched as he frantically searched for them, the thick, black smoke obscuring their vision. Through the door, the two boys heard the shouts and accusations of the villagers who started the fire. They heard the shouts of 'Monsters', 'Abominations', 'Devil-Children' that were directed at the both of them. And they knew that what the villagers said was true. They were different, cursed and so they had brought about the bad luck that plagued the village.

"FELI! LOVI!" Their nonno coughed, his lungs filling with the choking smoke.

"NONNO, NONNO!" The boys' high-pitched yells finally reached his ears and he headed towards the sound of his grandchildren's voices.

"Feli, Lovi, grazie a Dio!" He scooped up the twins and held them close, heading towards the nursery door. Entering the hall, he looked around for an exit, any exit to escape the flames. He saw a window near the far end of the hall that was just big enough for the boys to fit through.

"Lovino," he directed, "take Feliciano and run. Don't look back, don't come back, run. Head towards Zio Roderich's home in the east…" Their nonno coughed heavily, then continued rapidly, "Take care of your fratello. Love him, support him… Feliciano, you make sure to take care of Lovino, too… Make sure he smiles and relaxes." Their grandfather smiled sadly. He regretted not having spent as much time with his bambinos. He wanted to have more time with them, more adventures, but it was not to be.

Lovino tried his hardest to hold back tears. "Y-yeah…F-f-fine. I'll take care of stupid fratello." As if to solidify that statement, he grabbed ahold of his brother's hand.

"M-m-me too!" Feliciano piped up, not bothering to hold back his tears.

As Roma opened the window and helped first Lovino, then Feliciano through the opening, he whispered to them. "Ti amo. Essere al sicuro. Hurry, you don't have much time."

The two boys were crying and stumbling as they ran away from the burning villa, into the dark forest, away from villagers. They reached the top of a hill and looked back upon their childhood home. Feliciano was crying and wailing for his nonno, tears running freely down his red face. Lovino's tears ran silent and his small hands were clenched into fists, a scowl upon his face conveying his hatred of the villagers.

"HEY! THEY ESCAPED!" An angry villager had spotted the two children and was now rallying a group of his kin. Lovino was jolted into action at the sound of their shouts.

"CAZZO! FELI! We have to go! NOW!"

Feliciano was still sobbing, not paying attention to the situation rapidly approaching.

"IDIOTA!" Lovino yelled, "MOVE!"

His brother looked up, shocked by the harsh words. "B-b-but I'm s-scared!"

"Well stop being scared," Lovino looked him in the eye, brown meeting tear-filled amber. "Feli…We _have_ to go. Nonno wanted us to go."

Feliciano gulped, "O-okay…"

Romano looked at his pasta-loving idiot brother and sighed. "Andiamo."

"S-s-sì!" Feliciano sighed heavily, a soft glow enveloping him, and two snow-white wings appeared, the very thing that the alienated him from the villagers.

Lovino sighed, trying to relax, too. It was always harder for him to summon his wings but eventually they appeared, two crescents the color of midnight skies. He took his brother's hand and they began their journey, their childhood smoldering in the distance.

**Translations: **Courtesy of Google Translate**  
**

**Nonno: Grandfather  
****Grazie a Dio: Thank God  
****Zio: Uncle  
****Fratello: Brother  
****Ti Amo. Essere al sicuro: I love you. Be safe  
****Cazzo: F! #$  
****Idiota: This should be pretty obvious…  
****Andiamo: Let's go**

**A/N~~ Hello! I hope you're enjoying this story so far! This is my first story for and an experiment of sorts so be gentle with me~ I'm very new to this whole writing thing, so I'm still learning...What fun...I'll try updating this daily, but we'll see...  
****Ummm...what else? Nothing, I guess...Gawd, this is confusing...Ignore me, please...  
Whatever...see you soon!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not, nor will I ever own Hetalia…unfortunately…**

**Oh, forgot to mention this, but Lovi and Feli are about 7 years old in the previous chapter.**

**Chapter 1: Dreams or Premonitions?**

_He was in a dark room, unable to see even the smallest hint of light. _

_ "Ve~ Where am I? Fratello?" Feliciano looked around, hearing whispers but seeing no one. He shivered, though dark, he felt as if he knew this place. "Hello?!" The whispers were growing louder, and now Feliciano could hear words._

_ "_Foolish boy…tasty snack...hungry…" _The whispers grew louder and louder, eventually becoming a roaring river of moans and screams. Feliciano closed his eyes and covered his ears. Even though it didn't block the voices completely, it gave him a feeling of comfort. He whimpered, "L—Lovi… H-h-help…" No one responded. In the darkness he was all alone. _

_ A light appeared, the only light in a sea of black._

_ "Ve?!" Feliciano's eyed widened. The light was so pretty! And somehow, it felt safe, protective. As he reached the light source, he could make out a silhouette within the brightness. "A person?" He couldn't make out the features, but the person looked to have blonde hair and was built like a soldier with lots of muscle._

_ Feli moved closer to the person displayed in the light. In the back of his mind, a small voice supplied his name. Ludwig. But Feli didn't know anyone by that name. He was Italian and that name sounded pure German._

_ Suddenly, the person, Ludwig, moved. His eyes opened and Feliciano saw eyes the color of the sky on a bright, clear day. The blue color engulfed him and Feliciano fell back into the darkness._

**9 Years Later**

"Feliciano! Stop sleeping and help MEEEE!" Lovino's shrieks could be heard for miles around in the clear mountain air. Feliciano bolted awake, nearly falling off the tree where he had been taking his afternoon siesta.

"Ve~ Lovi! What are you doing upside down?" Lovino was currently hanging from a far off tree, his shirttail caught in one of the branches and his wings tangled in his jacket.

"CHIGI! Never mind that, Idiota! Just help me!" Lovino scowled at the wide smile on his brother's face. "What's so funny?!" He demanded.

Feliciano flew up to where his brother hung amongst the tangle of branches and clothes. "You, fratello! That looks fun, though…Can I try, later?"

"Stupido! This isn't some sort of dumb game!" Lovino looked annoyingly at where Feli was trying to gently untangle his shirt from the tree. "OWW! THAT"S ATTATCHED, YOU KNOW!"

"Mi dispiace, mi dispiace!" Feli winced at his brother's yelling and cursing, his ears ringing in his head.

Finally, Feliciano was able to free his brother from the tree, and got whacked on the head for doing so.

"OW!"

"Next time, don't ask stupid questions," Lovino growled, unhappy that he had to go through that humiliating experience. "And as for why I ended up like that, I was startled."

Feliciano smiled. "Ve~ it looked like fun, anyway!"

WHACK

"Fratello!"

"Stop saying stupid things, then!" Lovino stormed off towards his private "home". (Read: cave) Feliciano looked after him, confusion clear on his features.

"I know! I'll make him Pasta! That'll cheer him up!" Feliciano headed towards the small cabin they called home, singing a light Italian folk song. He opened the door and headed to the kitchen area.

Rustling around in the cabinets, he finally found what he was looking for, a box of pasta, tomatoes, and some dried basil from the nearby fields. Whistling, he got out a pan and began boiling the water over a fire.

**Lovino's Cave**

"Ow…" Lovino's wing still ached from when he whacked it against the trunk of the tree trying to get free. He sighed, a scowl once again plain on his face. Though he didn't say it, a feeling of unease had plagued him since a dream he had. It had happened for around a week now, the same dream again and again. Lovino honestly didn't know what to make of it, and that scared him. Was it another gift? A curse? Or was his mind just overthinking things? Without realizing it, his mind began recounting the visions he had.

_Lovino was lost. The forest was dark and cold, just like the one that fateful day. The only thing different was that he didn't have his fratello with him._

_ "Hello? Anyone?" Lovino could hear indistinct voices and see shadowy figures at the edge of his vision. "Bastardo! Show yourself!" He really hoped the shadows ignored him, though. Although he put on a brave face for Feli, he was a bit of a coward at heart and preferred running away to fighting. He really didn't want to meet whatever scary creatures dwelled in this dark forest._

_ In the distance, he could see a faint light, glowing like fire._

_ Relieved that someone, anyone was in the forest with him, Lovino hurried towards the fire. When he arrived, he came upon a…tomato? A tomato was glowing gently, providing the light Lovino so craved._

_ As he came closer, he began to hear voices emitting from the tomato. If he strained his ears, he could just hear them…_

_ "Kesesese…Toni, when are you gonna learn to stop doin' stupid things?" That particular voice annoyed Lovino for some reason. It was loud and grated on his nerves._

_ "Oui, Antoine… Zis is not ze smartest idea you have had, mon ami…" Lovino hated that voice. It was…French...and…perverted…and…ughh..._

_ "Aye…But mis amigos! I am just so bored, and there is still nothing to do…" Now, this voice, _this voice, _was different. It was smooth and rich, calm and cheerful at the same time. Just listening to it soothed Lovino and made him feel better._

_ The voices began to dim, as did the light from the tomato. Lovino reached out to the tomato, not wanting to lose his only source of light, and as he touched it, it burst._

_ The tomato burst, green light the color of fresh grass and leaves engulfing Lovino. As he faded into the light, a single word could be heard, spoken in whispers, yet louder than anything else. _

_ Antonio._

Lovino was startled awake when a rabbit broke a branch near his cave. He frowned, unaware that he had fallen asleep. That dream was really getting on his nerves, and that name…Antonio…Just who was he? Lovino huffed, No use thinking of it now, Idiota…Not like it's going to help Still, Lovino had a feeling that this Antonio would become very important soon.

"Ha!" Lovino scoffed at himself, shoving down the feelings of unease, and something else. The sun was just beginning to set, Feliciano must be wondering where the hell he was. Lovino spread his wings and headed back towards home.

**Translations: Google translated**

**Fratello: Brother**

**Idiota: Idiot**

**Mi dispiace: I'm sorry**

**Oui: Yes**

**Mon ami: my friend**

**Mis amigos: My friends**

**A/N~~ Whew! That was longer than I expected...I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I sure enjoyed writing it! Yeah, I'm pretty sure you all know who the people in the dreams were, and I promise both off them will show up within the next chapter or so... On another note, I have just figured out I can't write accents...at all... I can speak them, but writing them is waaaay harder than it looks...Anyone else have this problem? anyhow, I'm probably not going to be writing the characters with accents, so I hope you all don't mind... Aaaaand...that's all folks! See you next chapter!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia…*Goes off into emo corner to cry***

**Ve~ well, let the story begin!**

**Chapter Two:** **Einführung Ludwig**

_Ludwig was young again. He was standing in the fields behind his father's farm, his black cloak fluttering in the breeze, waiting for something. But what? He knew that something, no, __**someone**__ important was coming, but the memory of whoever it was escaped him. All he knew was this feeling of affection, and…dare he say it… love. As he sat, contemplating the identity of this mystery person, the sound of light footsteps reached his ears. Without turning around, he knew. Knew from the flutter of his heart, the feelings of affection and caring, that it was his love, his Ita—before the rest of the name could escape his lips, Ludwig experienced a falling sensation. The last things he saw before the world faded to white were a pair of gorgeous amber eyes._

**Location: Somewhere south of Berlin**

"Hey! West!" Ludwig Beilschmidt groaned and opened his eyes, the remnants of last night's drinking binge manifesting as a wicked hangover. Sitting up in his bed with his normally impeccable hair askew, Ludwig glared at his loud-mouth brother standing in the doorway of the two-room shack they "rented".

"Mein Gott! What do you want, Gilbert?!" Ludwig's older (and in Gilbert's opinion, better looking) brother smirked at the sight, red eyes sparkling with barely concealed mirth. It was always fun to see his little bruder looking somewhat less than perfect, and even funnier to tease him.

"Oh…Poor bruder can't even handle a couple 'a beers, hmm?" In reality, Ludwig could hold as much, if not more, than Gilbert (not that the awesome him would ever admit that)

"Gil, stop playing and tell me what you're doing here," Ludwig felt a headache begin to form, an unfortunate side-effect of dealing with his brother for any amount of time. They had gone drinking in celebration of his birthday and Ludwig was now regretting having drunk that last bottle of beer.

"Kesesese…Well, un-awesome West, the awesome council and me have decided that since you're now 18, it's time for your first official hunt!"

Finally. Pack laws dictated that wolves under eighteen weren't allowed to hunt on their own, for fear of them getting caught (not that that's stopped anyone). Ludwig, for one, had been hunting solo for quite a few years now, but this one would be different. This first hunt signified a wolf's transition from a pup to a full member of the pack. For the first time, Ludwig would lead a hunt. The first kill he made would be skinned and kept as a trophy telling other wolves his status as a member of the pack. This was his chance to prove his authority and prowess as heir to the alpha. This was the one chance for a wolf to 'make it or break it'. Wolves that performed badly during this first hunt would always be seen as such and wolves that did outstanding would be treated with respect and awe.

In fact, during Gilbert's initiation, he had managed to take down a fully grown bear; a feat unheard of for a wolf as young as he. Of course, nearly every other wolf fawned over him, not at all helping with what Ludwig perceived as his "over-inflated ego".

"They're really making me do this?" Ludwig sighed. He wasn't one for pomp and all that, preferring to stay a lone wolf. He wasn't at all used to praise and attention, something his bother lived on.

"What's the matter, bruder? 'Fraid you'll do badly? Kesesese…" Gilbert chuckled, picturing the image. Ludwig, his perfect, stick-up-the-ass brother, doing badly. Yeah, when pig fly…

Ludwig sighed. He had spent enough time chitchatting, "Bruder, It's already 8:30. Leave so I can get dressed"

Gilbert smirked, "Okay, Luddy…Don't forget to use twelve liters of hair gel~"

Ludwig turned red. "I DO NOT USE HAIR GEL!"

"Kesesese…Sure you don't." Gilbert beat a hasty retreat after Ludwig threatened to throw one of his shoes. It doesn't look it, but his little brother can really throw and Gilbert was just too awesome to get injured like that.

**Lovino and Feliciano: North Italy **

"Feli~" Feliciano could hear a small voice calling his name.

"Feli~" Was it his imagination, or was the nice voice growing annoyed?

"FELI, YOU IDIOTA, WAKE UP!" Feliciano yelped as his brother poured a glass of cold water onto his face. Sputtering, he blinked up into the scowling face of his brother.

"Lovi~!" Feliciano beamed up at his fratello. "That wasn't nice~"

"C-c-chigi! Stop calling me that!" Lovino's face grew red, "It's Lovino, got it? And who cares if I was nice? You wouldn't wake up!"

"Ve~ your face is as red as a tomato~" Feliciano noted, much to his brother's dismay.

"N-no, it's not!" Lovino denied, hiding his face. "N-now get UP!"

Feliciano scrambled out of the cot he shared with his brother and began putting his clothes on. "What are we going to do today, fratello?"

"_You_ aren't going anywhere. _I _am going to get us some more food." Lovino made weekly trips to nearby villages to buy/steal food. Lately, he took to stealing from fields, as it was markedly easier than taking from farmers' stalls in the market. It was October, the time when most of the crops were being taken up and foodstuff became scarce for the two boys. Eventually, they'd have to move somewhere a bit warmer, but Lovino hoped to stay here for a few weeks. It was safe and far enough from the humans as to not alert them to their presence.

"Ya-y! Can you get us pasta~?"

"Do you know how hard it is to find pasta here, stupido?"

"But pasta is delicious!"

"Yeah, yeah…But that's not the point!"

"Pleeease?" Feliciano's expression was like that of a kicked puppy's, innocent and hurt. Lovino could never resist it when Feli put on that expression. (And do you blame him?)

*Sigh* "Bene…But you better not eat it all at once like you did last time."

"YAAAAY!" Feliciano hugged his brother tightly. Lovino awkwardly hugged him back, clearly uncomfortable with his display of affection. His face had taken on that tomato shade once again.

"J-just get off me, huh?"

"Ve~" Feliciano detached himself from Lovino and spun around, dancing to an old folksong. "I will stay here and wait for fratello, okay?"

"Yeah….Remember, don't fly far from the house, watch around you so you're not spotted, and _per l'amor di Dio_, don't let anyone in!"

"Aye Aye, Cap'n!" Feliciano laughed and gave a wrong-handed salute, already thinking about what he would do and if he'd make any new friends. He was lonely with only fratello around, even if he'd never admit it.

"Okay. I'll be back 'round sunset. If I don't come back, you know what to do, right?" Lovino had had Feliciano memorize the way to a safe house in Southern Italy, just in case one of them got captured or killed.

Feliciano nodded solemnly.

"Well, I'm off…Stop crying, imbecille. I'll be back!" Lovino's wings spread; he ran a couple of meters and took off into the sky, Feliciano waving furiously behind him.

His shouts just barely reached Lovino's ears. "Arrivederci fratello! Buona fortuna!"

Though Feli had said it countless times before, this time around the words had an ominous ring to them. Lovino shook his head, he couldn't think negatively, even if today's goodbyes sounded like they were final.

Everything was going to be alright.

Right?

**Translations by Google:**

******Einführung Ludwig: Introducing Ludwig**

**Mein Gott: My God**

**Bruder: Brother**

**Idiota: Idiot**

**Fratello: Brother**

**Bene: Fine**

**Per l'amor di Dio: For the love of God**

**Imbecille: Imbecile**

**Arrivederci Fratello! Buona fortuna- Bye brother! Good luck!**

**A/N~~ Wow! Two chapters in one day! I'm so proud of myself! 8) The story's getting a little more interesting now, isn't it? I can't wait for you all to be introduced to the rest of the Bad Touch Trio. You've already seen a bit of Gilbert. I'm hoping Ludwig and Feliciano will finally meet in the next chapter and I'm hoping to introduce Antonio, too! Some of the twin's background info will also be revealed, so stay tuned for next time! **


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: Do I really have to keep doing this? Fine… I don't own anything…**

**Chapter Three: Ahora Presentamos Antonio**

** A small village town, near Lovino and Feliciano's home**

The bartender knew immediately when the three men walked into his bar that they were bad news. One of them, presumably the leader, had the strangest white hair and eerie red eyes. He was loud, demanding beer and food with a strong German accent (Or what the bartender thought was German). His other two friends were a bit more normal, one having a messy mop of brown hair and green eyes and the other having long-ish blonde hair with blue eyes. They were all out-of-towners, or at least the bartender hoped they were. He didn't really want them to stick around. All of them, even the friendlier brown-haired man, had an aura around them that shouted danger. Hopefully, they'd drink their fill and leave…

"Kesesese…Toni, when are you gonna learn to stop doing stupid things like that?" Gilbert laughed as Antonio's face turned red.

"Oui, Antoine. This was not the smartest idea you have had, mon ami." Francis Bonnefoy valiantly tried to keep from laughing, but remembering what his friend had done sent him into a fit of laughter.

"Aye…But mis amigos! I was just so bored and there was nothing to do…It seemed like a good idea at the time…" Antonio shrugged, trying to stop blushing.

Yesterday, he had gone to get some tomatoes from a nearby field. He was still in his wolf form when he realized that he would be unable to pick any of the tomatoes up. Unfortunately, instead of leaving and coming back with a basket of some sorts, he had decided to shift into human form. Now, when a wolf switched forms, clothes do not automatically pop into existence, meaning Antonio was stark naked. Add to that the fact that he wasn't the quietest of people and you get a recipe for disaster. The farmer's daughter had gone to get a drink of water when she had stumbled onto the sight of a naked man holding an armful of her prized tomatoes. Naturally, she didn't take it well. She screamed, waking up her father, who in turn began chasing Antonio around with an old pistol. Antonio, kind person that he was, kept trying to apologize instead of running away. Consequently, he ended up with a frying pan to the face (courtesy of the daughter) and a few extra bullet wounds to match. Thankfully, the farmer was a bad shot and the bullets only grazed Antonio.

"Shoulda seen West's face when we entered camp! Priceless!" Gilbert wasn't one to talk, Antonio thought sulkily. He had done stupid things, too. Sometimes stupider! And Francis had gotten into plenty of sticky situations thanks to his never ending quest for bed partners. Antonio didn't see why they had to tease him so much…

"Are you just passing through?" Antonio looked up, startled that the bartender had spoken to him.

"Si! My name is Antonio Fernandez Carriedo and these are my friends, Gilbert Beilschmidt and Francis Bonnefoy. It's nice to meet you!"

The bartender smiled a bit. At least one of the trio wasn't a complete wastrel. "My name's Sergio. Welcome to town."

Antonio smiled, he loved making friends! Especially nice ones like Sergio. He began chatting with the man, asking about likes and personal histories and such. He was so engrossed in talking with his new friend that at first he didn't notice the shadow sliding into a stool a few chairs down.

When Antonio finally took a break from conversing with the bartender, he noticed the person sitting near him. What struck Antonio as strange was that this person smelled different. His heightened senses didn't know what to make of this person. He smelled like pine forest and…bird? Antonio frowned; humans didn't smell like _birds_, they smelled like people.

The shadow, Antonio could now see it was a boy, probably a few years younger than him, spoke. The first words out of his mouth were, "What the hell are you staring at, bastardo?"

Antonio winced. This boy sounded angry. Really angry. "Nothing! Lo siento! I was just wondering who you were… Are you from around here?" Antonio inquired.

"Why the f! # should I tell you something like that?!" the boy scowled adorably. Or, at least Antonio thought it was adorable. He probably shouldn't say that, though. "You could be some weird-ass pedo for all I know!"

"Lo siento…I won't ask again," Antonio apologized. He felt bad that this boy was so angry and defensive. He wanted to hug him and make him smile. "May I ask you your name?" He asked, unsure if the boy would take it offensively, again.

"…" The boy was silent for a few moments. He was contemplating whether to leave, Antonio could tell.

"Wait! I'm sorry! I promise not to ask any more personal questions! Just, please, sit with me for a bit!" he pleaded. Antonio was lonely and something about this boy shouted lonely, too.

The boy looked as if he was contemplating something, then turned around fully, meeting Antonio's gaze for the first time. "My name's Romano…" He drifted off.

Antonio, for one, didn't care, as he was gazing into the prettiest pair of eyes he'd ever seen. They were brown, but it was a warm brown. They reminded Antonio of sun-soaked wood and the native forests of his homeland.

Lovino couldn't speak, couldn't move as he gazed into eyes the color of emeralds, the same color from his dreams. Instantly, he knew who this too-friendly, bubbly,_ idiotic_ person was.

_Antonio. _

**Ludwig's POV: Forest near the village**

Ludwig sighed,*Peace and quiet at last* he thought. This was the first bit of downtime he'd gotten since the pack began moving. He was getting sick and tired of his brother, and if he had to spend one more second in the company of his brother's "Bad Touch Trio" he was going to kill someone. His first hunt had been postponed because of their moving, which both disappointed and relieved Ludwig. He was disappointed because he was already capable, but everyone else continued to treat him as if he were a pup. He wasn't! He was a full grown wolf, able to do things by himself… And yet he was relieved, because he had doubts. What if he didn't do well, or screwed up? The pressure being heaped upon him was insane. Having a brother like Gilbert didn't help either. Even if everyone said he, Ludwig, was more mature and grown, there was just something about Gilbert… *Well, no use crying* Ludwig thought. He stretched, yawning heavily.

The sound of crying reached his ears. *Huh?* Ludwig was surprised, and wary. Why was a human out here alone? What could they possibly be doing? Stealthily, Ludwig crept closer toward the sound of tears and sobs. Strangely enough, it sounded as if the sounds were coming from above. The trees around here were all too tall to climb; the lowest branches were at least 3 meters off the ground.

A couple of minutes later, when Ludwig had reached the area where the crying was loudest, he was surprised. There was nothing there! Belatedly, he thought to look up and the strangest sight met his eyes.

Up in one of the many trees was a young boy, no older than 15, crying. Now, this was a strange enough sight for Ludwig, but what he observed next was the icing on the cake, as it was.

*He has wings!* Ludwig was stunned by the sight of two large, pure-white wings stemming from the boy's back. *Wings! People don't have wings…at least, not normal ones.*

*Yeah* a little voice in the back of Ludwig's mind piped up, *But normal people don't turn into wolves, either*.

*He looks like an angel* Ludwig stared at the boy for a few moments, until he saw the boy staring back, tears all but forgotten.

"Ve? What are you doing here, doggie?" The boy's soft voice sounded like a song to Ludwig. He was pretty sure he'd never met this boy before, but something seemed achingly familiar about him.

*Verdammt! He saw me!* Ludwig had never in his life been so careless. He bolted from his spot in the undergrowth, ignoring the boy's protests for him to stay, and ran.

And even as he ran, a voice in the back of his mind pleaded for him to stay. Stay for the amber-eyed angel with the soft voice and soft tears.

**Googled Translations:**

**Oui- Yes**

**Mon Ami-My friend**

**Mis amigos-my friends**

**Si-yes**

**Bastardo-Bastard**

**Lo siento-I'm sorry**

**Verdammt- Damn**

**A/N~~ Ni Hao! Hope you all enjoyed this chapter and YAAY! They all met! Don't worry, Ludwig isn't getting away from Feli that easily~ Next chapter will probably flash back and show the twin's point of view. This is getting exciting! Aaaand...other pairings will hopefully be introduced within the next few chapters!  
On a different note, I will be going to summer camp for the next two weeks and, regrettably, unable to update. I'm so very sorry for all the stress I'm putting you all through... You know I love all of you~  
I'll update ASAP, but you'll have to wait for a while, so hang tight!  
If I don't update by the 10th of August, you have my permission to hit me~**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: Nope. Don't own nothing…**

**Yaaay! Story's getting good, now~**

**Chapter Four: Two Different Viewpoints**

**Flashback to earlier that morning**

Once Lovino flew away, Feliciano was left with a whole day and nothing to do. "Ve~ I know! I'll go make some new friends!" He hopped up and headed towards the forest before remembering Lovino's words. "Oh, yeah! Got to close the door…"

After Feli made sure the door was closed, he headed towards the forest to see if he could make any new friends. He had the wonderful ability to speak with animals, why, just yesterday he had met a small rabbit he called Giovanni… Even though Gio wasn't much of a conversationalist, he was still fun to be around.

Feliciano began by searching for Gio, but he must have been somewhere else, because Feli didn't see him. He shrugged, "I'll just find someone else to play with! Hello~ Are there any kitties around~?"

*Insert facepalm*

The forest really was beautiful, Feli thought. He enjoyed walking around, seeing all of the pretty sights and discovering new things. One of the things he really wanted to do was paint the forest, especially the parts that no one else got to see. It was a shame that no one came out here, nature really was wonderful. And there was so much to paint! But paint and canvases cost a lot, plus they were bulky and heavy. Feli's fratello told him that constantly, but that didn't stop him from dreaming!

Ah~ He missed paint almost as much as he missed nonno…He hadn't held a paint brush since before-

Nononono! Feli shook his head vehemently. This wasn't the place to think dark thoughts. Save those for a dark night with fratello…

Feli heard rustling and shifting in the bushes close to where he was wandering,

"Ve~ Ciao! Who are you?" Feliciano moved closer to the bushes where the sound was coming from and gasped.

In the bushes was a young fox mother with two tiny kits. Her fur was a gorgeous orange color, but that wasn't what alarmed Feliciano. What alarmed him was the sight of her rear left leg.

It looked horrible, even to Feliciano. The fur was matted and torn, covered with blood. The skin was ripped, bone showing through in some places. It was a wonder she was even able to get back home with the injuries. Feliciano recognized the injuries as coming from one of the horrible traps humans used to capture animals. Feliciano thought it was a cruel and horrible thing to do; he didn't understand why someone would do something so horrible to innocent creatures like the fox.

"Oh no…" Feliciano whispered, "Madre fox, will you allow me to help?"

"_Stop…human…leave…must go…protect kits…" _The mother fox was dazed from blood loss and was unable to see that Feliciano was trying to help. She struck out, even though it must have pained her greatly, and then slumped down, the pain overwhelming her.

Feliciano whimpered, the fox having bit his arm, and then tried reaching out again. He couldn't let the mother of these poor kits die, he just couldn't. Who else would take care of these bambini? "Piccola madre, per favore, let me help you…"

The fox was dying. She knew that, just as Feliciano knew. He looked into her eyes, the overwhelming love and sadness for her kits bringing tears to Feliciano's eyes. He hated death, hated pain, hated sadness. His fratello thought he was weak, but Feliciano disagreed. How could he not care about the suffering of others, how could he just ignore it? Caring about others didn't make you weak, it made you human.

"_You…protect…kits?" _The voice of the mother fox broke Feliciano from his crying.

"S-s-si, piccola…I promise," he whispered to the dying mother, then began a prayer. "_Ave Maria, piena di grazia, il Signore è con te. Tu sei benedetta fra le donne e benedetto è il frutto del tuo seno, Gesú. Santa Maria, Madre di Dio, prega per noi peccatori, adesso e nell'ora della nostra morte. Amen_…"

By the end of the prayer, Feliciano was crying, sobs of sadness escaping his lips. The mother fox looked up into the sky and let out her last sigh, once vivid green eyes now dull, her beautiful coat once filled with life now flat.

Feliciano was bawling, his sobs shaking his body, while the newly orphaned kits mewled in confusion.

"_Mother…hungry…where…mother?"_ the kits began wailing, adding to the chorus of mourning and sadness.

Feliciano sobbed. It wasn't fair! Why did something so cruel happen? What had they done to deserve this? He looked through tear-filled eyes towards the kits. What was he going to do with them? He couldn't bring them home, Lovino would just throw them back out, and he couldn't leave them alone, they'd die…

"B-b-bambini…" he spoke soothingly to the scared and confused kits, "Y-your madre has gone to join il Dio where she will wait for you forever. In the meantime, would you like to stay with me?"

The kits whined and whimpered, wanting their mother back. They didn't want to go with this stranger, he wasn't mama! "M_ama…want…mama!"_

"M-Madre c-can't come home." Feliciano explained miserably. He gently scooped up the kits, cradling them in his arms. He was still crying as he spread his wings and flew up into a nearby tree. He wanted to get away from predators, but still keep vigil over the valiant mother. He cradled the two kits closely, rocking back and forth, and lost himself in tears.

A few minutes, or an eternity later, Feliciano looked up from his mourning, alerted by the sounds below him. What he saw made him panic. *A wolf!* His eyes grew wide, his sobs quieter, thought they didn't stop yet. He was waiting for the wolf to do something, but when it just stood there, he was curious.

"Ve~ what are you doing here doggie?" he asked softly, though not expecting an answer. The wolf shifted and suddenly Feliciano could see the wolf's eyes. They were the bright, clear blue from his dreams, but Ludwig wasn't a wolf…

Suddenly the wolf bolted, running away from Feliciano.

"Ah! Aspetta! Please! Wait!" Feliciano moved to follow, remembering just in time the two fox kits still in his arms. He thought quickly, follow or not? The kits were waking up, so Feliciano had no choice but to stay.

"Let me introduce you to fratello," Feli cooed to the hungry babies. "I just hope fratello will let me keep you~"

As he headed towards the cabin, the incident with the wolf was all but forgotten.

**Lovino's POV**

After leaving the cabin, Lovino headed north, towards the nearby village several kilometers off. Scanning the area, he found a secluded spot where he would be able to land without notice. Landing, he pulled out an old sweater that was big enough to hide the shape of his wings. Shrugging it on, Lovino mentally reviewed the checklist of supplies he'd need. *Tomatoes, rice, pasta, money, clothes…*

Damn. This was going to be annoying.

Muttering curses under his breath Lovino header closer towards the village, emerging in a field of what smelled like basil. He located the house, warily checking for signs of people and letting out a sigh when he realized no one was home. "Makes my job easier…" Lovino smiled for the first time in a while. Maybe this wasn't going to be as hard as he thought.

Heading towards the back door, he took out a small wire that served as a lock pick. Jiggling the knob, Lovino was delighted to find the door was already unlocked, courtesy of a forgetful family member. Entering the house, he looked around and located the kitchen. Rummaging through the cabinets, he found several bags of pasta. He took two of those, along with several of their tomatoes and a bag of rice. Whistling an Italian folk tune, Loving sauntered into the bedroom, where he assumed all their extra money was kept. Intuition didn't fail him. Under the mattress of the bed, he found several euros, which he took.

Someone was going to be missing a lot of stuff, but it wasn't his problem, was it now?

Lovino looked around once more and was ready to leave when something caught his eye. In the smaller bedroom a sketchpad along with a few pencils practically shouted out for him to take them. It didn't always seem Lovino listened to his fratello, but he did. He knew how happy Feliciano would be when he brought back these art supplies. He scooped up this prize and shoved it into the cloth knapsack on his back.

Upon exiting the house, Lovino looked over the money he found. There was enough to buy several new shirts and some pants for Feli. He headed towards the town, but before he entered, a lonely bar by the side of the road caught his eye. It had been so long since he was around others, Lovino thought wistfully. Before he knew it, his feet were carrying him in the direction of the door. Almost as if some other power willed it, Lovino entered the bar and searched for a chair. The bar was almost halfway full; customers seated two or three at a table.

There was one particular table Lovino tried to stay clear off. Three men were drinking and talking, being rambunctious and loud. One had the strangest hair Lovino ever saw. *Is that even a color?!* The loudest of the bunch appeared to have _white_ hair, which creeped Lovino out. The others were just as weird, a Frenchman and bubbly weirdo. Strangely, Lovino felt as if he knew them from somewhere. Naah…Probably his imagination.

He noticed the bubbly bastard walk over to the barkeep and strike up a conversation. So he was one of _those. _One of those people who wanted to be everyone's' friend and was too stupid for words. Just like Feliciano…

Lovino sat down, hoping the weirdo didn't notice him, but to no avail…The weirdo just kept staring and staring. What the hell was Lovino, some goddamn freak show?!

"What the hell are you staring at, Bastardo?!"

The man winced, probably put off by Lovino's harsh language. "Nothing! Lo siento! I was just wondering who you were…Are you from around here?"

"Why the f! # should I tell you something like that?!" Lovino scowled. It wasn't any of his damn business! "You could be some weird-ass pedo for all I know!"

"Lo siento…I won't ask again," The man looked genuinely apologetic which startled Lovino. People were seldom like that nowadays. The man looked at Lovino for a second warily, and then asked another question. "May I ask you your name?"

Lovino was silent for a minute. Should he reveal his real name? Nope, too risky.

The man obviously took Lovino's silence as a sign that he was leaving. "Wait! I'm sorry! I promise not to ask any more personal questions! Just, please, sit with me for a bit!"

Lovino stared at the man. What the hell was he talking about? "My name's Romano…"

He swiveled around to stare the man full in the face. Lovino preferred to have his conversations face to face so he could judge the other's reactions. He looked into his eyes and the world stopped.

Lovino couldn't speak, couldn't move as he gazed into eyes the color of emeralds, the same color from his dreams. Instantly, he knew who this too-friendly, bubbly, idiotic person was.

_Antonio._

**Translations: There's a bunch of them!**

**Fratello-brother**

**Nonno-grandfather**

**Ciao-hello**

**Madre-mother**

**Bambini-babies**

**Piccolo madre, per favore-little mother, please**

**Ave Maria, piena di grazia, il Signore è con te. Tu sei benedetta fra le donne e benedetto è il frutto del tuo seno, Gesú. Santa Maria, Madre di Dio, prega per noi peccatori, adesso e nell'ora della nostra morte. Amen…": Hail Mary, full of grace, our Lord is with thee, blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and in the hour of our death. **_**Amen.**_

**Lo siento-I'm sorry**

**A/N~~ Bye, Hope You enjoyed**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer- Why the Fruk am I still doing these? Y'all know by now I don't own anything**

**Hello~ More updates, YAAY!**

**Enjoy~**

**Chapter 5: Shadows, Secrets, and More Foreshadowing**

** The back of the bar, in the shadows near Lovino and Antonio.**

Finally. He had found them. It had taken long months of fruitless searching and dead ends, but finally he had found his prey. Or at least one of them. No doubt this one would lead to the other. He had waited for this day for so long, done so much to prepare. Frankly, he couldn't believe he had succeeded. It seemed like a dream come true. At long last, his plan was coming into shape. He stared hungrily at the boy sitting across the room. He wanted so badly to just snatch him from here, but alas…He needed the brat's brother, too. Ah, well... Not long now, not long at all. He could wait a few days more.

After all, what's one more day when he had eternity?

Antonio stared at Lovino. Lovino stared back. For a few moments, nothing in the world existed but each other.

*Crap! Why am I still staring at him?! He must think I'm crazy or something!* Lovino turned red and quickly averted his gaze from Antonio's.

*Cute!* Antonio was still staring at Lovino as he turned a bright red color. *He looks just like a tomato~*

"WHAT?!" Oops… Antonio hadn't meant to say that last part out loud.

Lovino was livid. "What the f!#$?! I do** not **look like a damn tomato!"

"But you _do_… Your face is all red, just like a tomato!"

"CHIGI!" Lovino was pissed, but Antonio still thought that he was just about the cutest thing he'd ever seen. His red face reminded Antonio of the tomatoes he so dearly loved. Lovino wasn't as happy, understandably. Sure, he liked tomatoes, but that didn't mean he wanted to be compared to one…

"I'll call you mi tomate…" He decided, thinking the nickname fit the boy to a t.

Lovino gaped, "STOP COMPARING ME TO A DAMN TOMATO! AND WHAT'S WITH THAT STUPID NAME?!"

"But Romano~" Antonio gave Lovino a pleading glance, sadness written all over his face. "You don't like the nickname…?"

Lovino furrowed his brow, slightly confused. Romano? Oh, yeah…He was using an alias. He really shouldn't tell Antonio his real na**-**

"It's not that…" Lovino grumbled, "And my name's Lovino…Romano's a...err…never mind, my name's Lovino. Lovino Vargas."

Lovino… So he was Italian. Antonio thought it fit him. "Lovi~"

"DAMMIT! First Feliciano, now you?!"

"Who's Feliciano?"

*…Cazzo…*

"TONI! Hey, TONI!" Lovino grit his teeth. It was that stupid potato bastard from his dreams. And right behind him was that French pervert. Lovino was starting to like Antonio (not that he'd ever admit that) but if he didn't rethink his choice in friends Lovino wasn't responsible for what would happen.

"Ohonhonhon…" the French bastard laughed, just the sound sending shivers down Lovino's back. And they weren't pleasant. "Gilbert, I think Toni here has found a little…friend… of his own." He said friend, but everyone knew he meant something entirely different. Everyone but Antonio, who was oblivious to his friend's not-so-subtle hints, as always.

"Kesesese…" Gilbert laughed. "So Toni's finally getting laid, huh? Mein Gott, took you long enough!" He clapped Antonio on the back, nearly knocking him off the stool. He sat down on a nearby stool, kicking his feet up onto the bar. "So, who's the lucky fella?" He leered at Lovino, who was turning redder and redder by the second.

"F!#$ OFF!" Lovino snarled loudly, startling Gilbert for a moment.

"Kesesese, so little boy over here has a mouth, does he?" Both men got up, fists at the ready.

Lovino looked at Gilbert with undisguised loathing. Gilbert sneered back. Antonio winced… This wasn't going to be pretty.

"Hey~ Amigos~" Antonio cajoled. "We're all friends here, huh? We don't want to ruin this nice person's bar do we?" He didn't want Sergio's bar to get wrecked because of him…

"Naah, we'll be fine Toni, won't we pretty boy?"

"Just because _you_ can't control yourself doesn't mean I can't," Lovino spat. He slowly sat down, still glaring daggers at Gilbert. The atmosphere of animosity around them was so thick; Toni could cut it with a knife. Not that he noticed, of course. He smiled at his two friends. Wasn't it great, everyone was getting along!

"Gilbert…" Antonio looked over to where Francis had spoken up. "…Vash just called…" He sounded worried and scared. The expression on his face was one of pity. Antonio suddenly has a sinking feeling. Vash was at base camp with his sister and Gil's brother. If he was calling, nothing good had happened…

"Huh?" Gilbert sounded confused.

"Vash just called…" Francis looked at Gilbert. "…He said…Ludwig…he… was captured…by **them**."

Gilbert bolted up, wide-eyed and stunned. He snarled and ran out the door, red eyes glowing with the flames of hell. Francis quickly rose and headed after him. "Stay here" he commanded Antonio, "I'll bring him back…"

Lovino had no idea what was happening. Who was Ludwig? Was he special to Gilbert? The French said captured, so were they on the run from someone? Suddenly, Lovino didn't know if it was a good idea to have been socializing with these people. If there were others looking for them Lovino might be caught in the middle, and that wasn't a good place to be if you were trying to keep a low profile.

Antonio turned a worried face to Lovino. "Heh…Just some family problems," he smiled nervously, "Nothing to worry about…"

"Are you criminals?" Lovino was blunt. If they were on the run from someone, he needed to cut his ties quickly and cleanly.

Antonio looked shocked, emotions flitting across his face. Shame, sadness, worry. They were all present. "No, no of course not! It's a little hard to explain, but we're not criminals! Promise!" Lovino studied his face closely. Either he was a very good liar, or he wasn't lying at all.

"So tell me."

"Tell you what?" Antonio was confused. What was Lovino talking about?

"Tell me what you are." His brown eyes stared unwaveringly into Antonio's green ones. "If you're not a criminal, tell me what you are."

Antonio panicked. He couldn't just reveal the secret, it wasn't his to share. But he couldn't lie…Not to him…

"It's...a…Um…long story…and…I can't explain it here…"

Lovino looked at Antonio. He had a secret, Lovino could tell. He understood what it was like to have to keep a secret like that. Hell, he was keeping more than one! "Fine, Bastardo…but I'm leaving now."

Lovino got off the stool. He had wasted enough time here. The sun was setting and Feliciano was probably wondering where he was. He picked up the pack with his supplies from off the floor and started towards the door.

"WAIT!" Lovino turned to see Antonio holding out his hand, half off the stool.

"What? I've wasted enough damn time here."

Antonio was torn. He didn't know what to do. Betray his family or never see Lovino again? Even if he had only just met him, Lovino was rapidly becoming a special person to Antonio. Both choices seemed unbearable…

"Meet me…"

Lovino was startled. "Why should I?"

"Meet me later tonight," Antonio pleaded, "I'll explain everything."

"…" Lovino debated for a moment, then said, "Tonight, then. But there's no guarantee…"

Antonio smiled in relief. "Tonight Lovi~ I'll be waiting~" he winked at Lovino, causing his face to turn red.

Lovino made a quick exit from the bar, blushing all the way.

Antonio turned back to the bar, worry once again crossing his features. Weary lines etched into his face.

None of them noticed the shadow following Lovino into the night.

**Translation Time:**

**Mi tomate- My tomato**

**Amigos-Friends**

**Bastardo- Bastard**

**A/N~~Ni Hao! I'm back with another chapter. This is just Lovi and Toni, but Ludi and Feli will come soon... Aren't you all alight with anticipation? I admit I can be somewhat of a tease... You probably have a ton of questions, which may or may not be answered next installment~  
Don't wory, I'll upload ASAP! I'm just as interested as you to see what happens with Ludwig and Feliciano.  
On another note, y'all will tell me if the characters are acting too OOC, right? It seems as if they were all a little weird this chapter, btu maybe that's just me...**

**Luv y'all! keep hangin'! And remember to make pasta, not war!**

.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: No, no matter how many times you ask, my answer's the same. I still own nothing.**

**It's Feli's turn~**

**Chapter 6- Guardian Angel?**

"_Are they there?" The shadowed speaker turned to look at his subordinate._

_ "H-hai…" The Japanese man bowed low and then looked up frightened._

_ "Are you sure?" The first man spoke again, his tone slightly more harsh. "I don't want another bloody mistake, you hear me?"_

_ "Hai! The mutts are all there, even the younger ones!"_

_ "Heh…Very well then…Take…Matthew and commence with the plan. And this time…" The man paused, emerald eyes flashing dangerously, "This time, don't mess up."_

_ "Of course." The second man bowed again and took his leave. He had hunting to do._

**Midday, Feli's Home**

Within minutes of getting home, Feliciano had realized that taking care of babies is a lot harder than it looks.

"Ve~ bambini…" Feli stared at the cabinet where he had made a bed for the two kits. Like magic they had disappeared within minutes of Feliciano turning his back. "Where are you?"

He looked around the little hut, searching everywhere within the house. Within the blankets that made up their bed, under the table, behind the stove…they were nowhere to be found. After several minutes of fruitless searching, Feliciano became worried. What if they had wandered outside?! Or got hurt?! What kind of a parent was he if he couldn't keep two kits from leaving? "Ve~ where could they possibly be?"

And then he saw the open door. (See, this is why Lovi keeps harping on Feli to keep the door closed.)

Feliciano paled and then began panicking. He had promised mama fox to take care of her kits, and he had let them wander outside! He had promised! Mama fox had trusted him and he had let her down…This wasn't good…

Feliciano was rapidly deteriorating into hysterics when he heard a light shuffling sound from behind the hut.

"Ve! Bambini!" He hurried back around to the small yard behind the hut and stopped dead in his tracks when he saw what was there.

The wolf, who up until then, Feli had completely forgotten about, was standing a few meters away, the fox kits curled in a ball in front of him.

"Ve~ did you bring my bambini back?" Feliciano asked the wolf tentatively. He didn't look like he was threatening the kits, but what did he know? Everyone was a friend in his view.

He wasn't really expecting an answer, wolves and the other large predators seldom cared to talk to him, so he was surprised when the wolf bowed his head slightly.

*Ja…*

Feliciano gasped. The voice was deep and powerful, unlike that of any animal he had ever heard. It resonated within his head, like the ringing of a chapel's bells. But more than that, the voice was familiar. It was the memory of fields of grass blowing in the wind, a flash of black from a cloak, a broom, maybe…

"W-who are you? Do you have a name?"

The wolf looked at him, blue eyes holding his amber ones for a few moments. *…Yes, I have a name. I am Ludwig.*

Feliciano gasped. So it was him. Ludwig, the man from his dreams. But, how? Ludwig was human, wasn't he? Then again, this wolf was no mere animal, either. No animal that Feli had ever heard spoke with such a clear voice. Feliciano remembered the old legends his nonno used to tell him during the night. Stories filled with fabulous creatures that nonno promised would protect him throughout the night. He had never imagined them to be true, but was it really much of a stretch? After all, he wasn't supposed to exist either.

But here he was, wasn't he?

"Ah…" Feliciano held out his hand. "May I come closer?"

*…Ja.*

Feliciano moved closer to the majestic wolf, Ludwig. He reached out a hand to stoke his fur, but stopped halfway. It looked so soft and silky. He wanted to run his hands through it~

Ludwig saw what he was doing and nodded. *You can touch it* he said shyly.

Feli smiled and stroked Ludwig's fur. It was softer than he thought, not quite as coarse as other wolves' fur and nowhere near as dirty. "Ve~ it's so nice~ I forgot to introduce myself earlier, though. I'm Feliciano Vargas."

*It's nice to meet you, Feliciano* Ludwig seemed a little embarrassed to have Feli so close to him. He probably didn't interact with people much…How sad…It must be so lonely…

Feliciano couldn't stand being alone. He had to have someone, anyone to be with. That's one of the things he loathed about his life. He moved around too much and was too secretive to make any real friends. Lovino was the only constant in his world, and he was tired of that. He hated to admit it, but it was true. Lovino still saw him as that bumbling idiot who couldn't tie his own shoelaces (he still couldn't, but that's beside the point), but he wasn't. He could take care of himself, really, he could!

All he wanted was a friend. Another person to rely on. Lovino had taken care of him for long enough. Feliciano felt bad for being such a burden for his fratello. He knew he wasn't the easiest person to take care of. He was forgetful, weak, and cowardly. He had heard it all before.

But maybe Ludwig could change that… There was a reason he'd been dreaming of him, right?

* * *

Ludwig was just confused.

After he had bolted from the angel, Feliciano, he had arrived in a small clearing about two kilometers away from his camp. There he had sat and thought, questions running in a never-ending circle through his head.

He still had a lot of questions.

After a while of sitting, Lili Zwingli had found Ludwig in the clearing.

Lili was a quiet young girl, very sweet and kind. She was the youngest member of the pack, being only 13 years old, and as such everyone was extremely protective of her. Especially her brother Vash Zwingli.

"What's wrong, Herr Ludwig?" Lili crouched a bit away from the wolf, not wanting to get too close. "You look like something's troubling you."

Ludwig just grumbled, unable to speak as a wolf.

"Oh! I'm sorry! I have some clothes here if you want to talk…" She held out a black shirt and green pants, then turned away blushing.

Ludwig sighed and then shifted into his other form, though he really didn't feel like talking. Hurriedly, he took the clothes offered to him and put them on.

"Danke, fraulein…" Lili had turned around again to face Ludwig, who had moved closer. "Ja, I don't know… but I think…it would be best…to talk." He looked to Lili, her big eyes radiating understanding and warmth.

"Big bruder said that talking can help fix any problem…" She supplied helpfully.

Ludwig laughed, "You bruder is right. I just…don't know where to start…"

"The beginning," Lili giggled. "That's where all stories start!"

And so Ludwig began. He talked of the dreams, his feelings, and the encounter. With each word Ludwig felt better and better. He didn't really talk to anyone (it wasn't in his nature) but Lili was an easy person to talk with.

Throughout the story, Lili listened. She didn't interrupt or stop Ludwig. After he had finished his talking, Lili was silent for a few moments.

"Hmm…Maybe…maybe this boy in the forest is…" She paused, as if hesitant to say share what she thought. "Maybe he's someone special…"

"Special how?"

"Well, he had wings, right?" Lili thought back to all the old tales her brother would tell her as bedtime stories. "So maybe he's your guardian angel…Like in the stories…"

"But they're not real…they're just stories!" Ludwig argued.

"Well, according to humans, we're just stories, too, right?" Lili reminded Ludwig.

"…"

Lili smiled, she knew when she won an argument. "But Mister Ludwig…If you really want to know more about this boy, you should go back…Talk to him…"

And so here he was, standing behind a little shack deep in the forest; Feliciano and two fox kits keeping him company. He had found the two kits wandering at the edge of the forest. Though he didn't recognize them he could smell the boy all over them. If his memory served, they were with the boy when they had first met in the forest…

"Are you like me?"

Ludwig blinked, lost in his inner thoughts. He cocked his head as if to ask a question. *What do you mean?*

Feliciano stared at Ludwig. "Are you like me? Are you special?"

Instead of answering, Ludwig turned around and headed toward the forest where he had stored his clothes. *One minute…*

Feliciano looked after him, confused. One minute? What did that have to do with answering his question?

Oh…

From out of the forest came the figure straight from Feliciano's dreams. His tall, muscular frame was just as he'd seen it, hair combed back and not a strand out of place. The face was the same too. Patrician nose and the same icy blue eyes that seemed to stared into his soul.

Yes, this was the man Feliciano remembered.

Ludwig.

Speaking of Ludwig, he was blushing slightly as Feli looked him over thoroughly. He wasn't used to such scrutiny, especially from someone who was practically a stranger.

"Umm…"

Feliciano looked up, "Oh! Mi dispiace! I didn't mean to stare!"

"…It is okay," Ludwig murmured. "You realize that you do have two kits hanging off your back, right?"

Feliciano had not, in fact, but now that Ludwig pointed it out, he could feel the kits' claws digging into his back. "Oh…Ah…Eek!" The last shriek was in surprise, as the kits had managed to clamber up onto Feli's head and were proceeding to play with his curl. "Help~ Ludwig~ please!" Feliciano had fallen backward onto his back, the kits now sitting on his head and stomach.

Ludwig stared for a moment in surprise, and then chuckled. Feliciano was different, to say the least.

He wandered over to where the younger boy laid laughing, face lit with happiness. He pulled one of the fox kits off of the other's stomach, and then helped him sit up.

Feliciano wiped his eyes, still giggling lightly. "Grazie! That was fun, though, wasn't it? But next time, maybe no claws…"

Ludwig was about to reply when he heard rustling noises from the bushes. He turned around quickly to meet the treat, prepared to shift if need be. So, he was relieved when it turned out to be just Vash and Lili, the latter still in human form.

"Ve~ Ludwig, are these your friends?" A little Italian voice popped out seemingly from nowhere. Vash and Lili looked startled, Lili raising her brow as if in understanding, Vash reacting to the new threat.

"Bruder…" She turned to Vash, who was growling with his hackles raised. "He means no harm, can't you see? And besides, we were here to tell Mister Ludwig something, weren't we?"

Vash sighed. Lili had absolutely no sense of self-preservation… She saw the good in everyone…

Ludwig grimaced. If Vash and Lili had come, it meant one of three things. First; Gilbert had probably ended up in jail somewhere and needed to be bailed out. Or, Gilbert was about to be put in jail, and needed to be bailed out. Or, one of Gilbert's friends (Francis) needed to be bailed out… Honestly, it was like taking care of teenagers…

"What did Gilbert do, now?"

*Not Gilbert this time.* Vash grimaced. *But I wished it were. Gilbird said he saw some of Arthur's men about 5 kilometers from here. They were heading this way.*

"Scheiße!" Ludwig swore. Arthur was the head of a rival clan centered in Great Britain. He held a grudge against one of the members of Ludwig's pack, but he had hoped Arthur had forgiven and forgot.

Apparently not.

"Ve~ who's Arthur? Is he another friend of yours?" Feliciano had no idea who any of these people were, but Ludwig seemed calm enough. And that pretty girl had smiled at him! He wasn't sure about the other wolf, but he couldn't be all bad if he were with Ludwig…

A flash of something flitting through the shadows caught his eye.

"Ve! There are more friends coming to join us~"

Vash bolted up and quickly sniffed the air. Whatever he smelled must have been bad news, because he hurriedly ushered Lili closer to the hut, which had a little bit of cover.

*It's Kiku…*

"VERDAMMT!" Ludwig swore again. "Feliciano, those aren't friends. You need to leave, NOW!" He motioned for Feliciano to go back inside the house with the kits, but Feli stood his ground.

"But why? Are they bad people?"

"No, we are not bad people, Feliciano. But they are." A young Japanese man came out of the shadows; a katana gripped in his hands.

"…Kiku…" Ludwig growled. "What does Arthur want now?"

"I am unsure as to what he wants." Kiku gave one of his famously vague answers, blank eyes revealing not a trace of emotion.

"Don't lie," Ludwig threatened, "As you can see, you're outnumbered."

Kiku merely smiled. It wasn't a nice smile, full of cynicism and something darker. "Who says I came alone?"

Ludwig and Feliciano jumped as another young boy materialized seemingly out of nowhere. He looked far less intimidating with violet eyes and wavy blonde hair. He was quite thin, but Ludwig suspected his thin frame concealed hidden strength, as demonstrated by the polar bear he was carrying.

Feliciano was awed by the bear. He walked over to Matthew, holding out his hand to the bear. "Ve~ What is that?! It's so cute…"

Matthew smiled shyly. "His name is Kuma and he's a polar bear. They live in Canada…"

"Ve~ so cool! Ludwig," he pulled on Ludwig's shirt gently, "Can I get a polar bear?"

"Ahh…" Ludwig blushed, "Not now…"

Kiku turned to Feliciano. This boy seemed to be someone special to Ludwig; maybe he could use this…

"Matthew…" Kiku spoke to the Canadian. "Get the boy, we're going."

Ludwig darted forward as the words exited Kiku's mouth, but wasn't fast enough to reach Feliciano. Matthew had reached him first.

Matthew smiled softly at Feliciano, "I'm sorry; you seemed like a nice kid…" He moved inhumanely fast, hand darting towards Feliciano's head and everything went black.

"NO!" Ludwig roared, shifting as he headed towards Matthew who had Feliciano in his arms. He could see Vash out of the corner of his eye leaping onto Kiku who had his sword out.

Matthew gave another one of his smiles and then began to disappear before Ludwig's eyes. But Ludwig was a wolf. His sense of smell was superior to any others. He didn't need a scent to locate someone.

Matthew ran toward the edge of the forest. Ludwig was in fast pursuit. Oh, dear…he was fast, wasn't he?

What if he caught up? Damn Kiku and his vague plans.

Was the trap ready? The rest of the men should be riiight…He heard a yelp, presumably from Ludwig…**there**. He stopped and turned around, an unconscious wolf lying several meters behind him. "Good, now let's go. Kiku's staying to clean up." He directed the men to secure Ludwig and headed towards home.

Feliciano was still hanging unconscious in his arms.

Vash watched as Ludwig was attacked from behind, becoming more and more furious. Kiku stopped his attack and smiled. "Ahh…Don't you love it when a plan works? And your foolish pack mate was so distracted, he walked right in~"

Vash howled. He knew he was outnumbered, but it killed him to just let his family go without a fight.

"Now, now…None of that, sir wolf. You are greatly outnumbered, and besides, your sister is waiting." Kiku motioned with his hand towards the hut, which had been set on fire and the door barred. He bowed slightly and melted back into the shadows, a faint 'sayonara' was all he left.

Vash ran towards the burning hut, breaking through the door to rescue his sister. He hurriedly found her and guided her out of the wreck. By then, Kiku and his men were long gone. Lili was crying, having seen the whole thing from a nearby window.

Vash titled back his head and howled a message to any of his kind and one in particular.

Ludwig had been captured.

**Translations:**

**Hai-Yes**

**Bambini-babies**

**Ja-yes**

**Fratello-brother**

**Herr-Mister**

**Danke Fraulein- Thanks Miss**

**Bruder-brother**

**Mi dispiace-I'm sorry**

**Grazie-thanks**

**Scheiße-shit**

**Verdammt-damn/dammit**

**Sayonara-goodbye**

**A/N~~ Dudes! I found the horizontal line thingy! This is a reason for celebration!  
So, I'm super sorry for not updating yeaterday...i was not inspired...at all...but I'm back, now! Hopefully after this week, I'll be able to update daily~  
This week, I'll probably update again in two or three days~ I'm really busy...sorry...hope that's not too disappointing...  
This is like, way longer than anything else I've written so far... I hope it makes sense...you'll message me if it doesn't, right?  
This chapter has been really hard for some reason...But, I introduced some new characters!  
So, how do you think Lovino's gonna react to the sight when he reaches home? What do you think he'll do? All these questions and more will be answered in the next installment of "Of Saviors and Sinners".  
Hang tight, dudes.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: Nothing is mine… *sob* Nothing!**

**Goodness…this is getting quite interesting, isn't it? Poor Lovino~ Not gonna be a lot of him in here, sorry…**

**Next chapter, though…I promise!**

**Chapter Seven- Veneziano Ring Any Bells?**

"Arthur-sama…I have returned." Kiku bowed to his employer.

"…Were you successful?" Arthur played with the knife in his hand, the silver gleaming in what little light entered the room.

"Hai, of course. But…" Kiku hesitated. Should he tell Arthur about the boy?

"But…" the tone of the voice promised pain to anyone who displeased it. Arthur's poison-green eyes narrowed. The dagger in his hand stilled.

"But there was a…complication…" Kiku winced, waiting for the pain that would accompany Arthur's next statement.

"…What. Did. You. Say?" Arthur's eyes narrowed. "A complication?" His voiced had softened. Kiku could barely hear it now.

"H-h-hai… a boy…but he can be useful! Ludwig-san seems to care for him deeply!" Kiku stumbled over his words, fearing greater punishment.

Arthur sat back, pondering for a moment. "Hmmm…fine. Keep the boy. Put him in one of the cells_. And get out of my face._" The last part was hissed angrily, as if Arthur had suddenly gotten a headache, which in fact, he had.

Kiku bowed and skittered away as fast as he could. The last thing he saw was Arthur, his head in his hands and eyes glowing blue.

* * *

Lovino was almost home when he saw the smoke. *Dios mio! Feliciano!* Lovino streaked home, his wings beating furiously, propelling him forward. What he saw stunned him. It was a scene Lovino was all too familiar with.

"Feliciano! Fratello!" He yelled desperately, landing and running to the smoldering hut. "FRATELLO! No, no, NO!" Lovino ran to put out what little of the fire was left, gut twisting horribly and eyes stinging. "No, no…no…" He gasped, sobs pouring from his lips. Falling to his knees, he scrabbled desperately at what was left of the hut, hoping to find any trace of his brother. He couldn't be gone, he just couldn't! Please, God, not his brother… Not Feli…

His hand came in contact with something.

Blackened by the flames, the small rosary was still warm. The intricately carved cross was now twisted and melted from the heat of the fires. Lying near the cross was a small collection of rosary beads, the cord holding it together long disintegrated.

Lovino recognized it. Of course he did.

Nonno had given him an identical one at birth.

And up until then, it had never left their arms.

Lovino could feel his heart break bit by bit; all the pieces that made him feel worth something falling into darkness. He didn't know if he could live without his brother. He didn't know if he wanted to.

From within the darkness that engulfed Lovino came a voice. It was a quiet voice, barely louder than a whisper.

"Lovi, Lovi…please stop crying…por favor…" Antonio knelt near the sobbing boy, his arms going around him automatically.

Lovino leaned into the comforting embrace, relaxing into the warmth of Antonio's hug. "He's gone, he's gone, he's gone…" he kept muttering those words over and over, like a mantra. As if saying them would make the fact any less real…

Antonio tightened his grip on Lovino. What could he do? Nothing, nothing at all. And that's what ate at him. He couldn't help Lovino anymore than he could help himself…

The sun set on the pair, still kneeling within the ashes of their home.

* * *

Feliciano opened his eyes blearily, confusion prominent on his features. "Ve~ what happened?" he couldn't remember anything after that nice boy with the bear hit him. "Where am I?"

He sat up shakily with his head spinning. He appeared to be in a small room lying on a cot in one corner. The door was across from him, about 6 paces away. There was little else in the room asides from the cot and a pail in one corner.

Feliciano swung his legs over the side of the cot, cradling his head when the room began tilting. "Owww…"

He got up slowly and stumbled towards the door. He had to get out of this place! Lovino was going to be so mad!

"Ve~ Ludwig? Are you there?" He attempted to open the door, only to find it was locked. "Hello?! Anyone?!" He banged on the door, shouting all the while.

"SHUT UP!" A gruff voice shouted from the cell next to him. Feliciano yelped and shut his mouth. He approached the connecting window slowly.

"Ve~ do you know where I am?"

The man near him snorted. "What are you, stupid? How can you not know? We're in hell kid. And we ain't ever coming out alive…"

"Ve? Why not?"

The man studied him for a moment in disbelief as if wondering how anyone could be this dense. "Tell me kid, who exactly are you?"

"Oh, I'm Feliciano Vargas from Italy! It's nice to meet you…"

"…I'm Alistair Kirkland. So you're from Italy, huh? You're a mite far from home, aren't you?"

"What do you mean…Where am I?" Feliciano had assumed he was still in Italy, or maybe one of the border countries like Switzerland. It would explain the cold…

"You're in the UK, kid. Specifically, England…Home base for Arthur's coven."

Feli blanched. England?! But that was so far away! How long had he been out? "Arthur? I've heard that name~ Ludwig and those other boys were talking about him!"

Alistair blinked. So this kid knew Ludwig…Strange, he didn't look like the type Ludwig would be seen with. He was much too happy and energetic. "Yeah, so how do you know Lud-"

His words were cut off when a door at the end of the hall opened.

Kiku walked towards Feliciano's cell, his blank mask firmly in place.

He stopped when he reached Feliciano and started unlocking his door. "My master would like to see you now."

Feliciano was not so gently hauled out of the cell by a gloved hand. "Ve~ what does he want?"

"I do not know. Now please move." Kiku prodded Feliciano toward the far end of the hall.

Feli looked back and waved at Alistair. "Arrivederci~ see you soon~"

Alistair just watched. It would be a miracle if that poor sap managed to survive the night…

* * *

**Meanwhile…**

Ludwig had woken up all the way on the other side of the castle from Feliciano. A far cry from the cell Feliciano was sitting in, Ludwig was in an opulent room lying on a huge bed. At first he was confused as to how exactly he had ended up here, and then it all came back in a rush. Arthur, Kiku, _Feliciano_. Ludwig shot up and stalked towards the door, intending to find Feliciano as quickly as possible and leave without dying.

Surprisingly the door opened easily. Ludwig wandered out into the hall, cautious to ensure no one saw him…

"Where do you think you're going?" Matthew's quiet voice was heard from behind him and he jumped.

"Schiße!" Ludwig pivoted and swung his fist, narrowly missing the Canadian.

Matthew ducked and, before Ludwig could blink, was up in front of him, Ludwig's fists in his much smaller hands. "Please don't do that…You're looking for that boy, right?"

Ludwig's eyes narrowed. "If you've done anything to him…"

Matthew blinked and then said, "Oh! No, of course we haven't done anything to him! What do you think we are? Monsters?"

"Close enough, Nachtzehrer."

"Now, now…No name calling here my dear chap!" The two men turned to see the newcomer. It was Arthur Kirkland himself, smirking slightly, his eyes glittering merrily. He was lounging on the staircase, reminding Ludwig of a feral jungle cat…

"Arthur…What do you want this time? Wasn't turning Jeanne enough?"

Arthur's eyes narrowed, flashing blue. Matthew started. He hadn't seen that happen before. Before he could blink, the color switched back to his normal green, leaving Mattie to wonder if it was an illusion or trick of the light.

"Never mind that. I brought you here for a different reason entirely." Arthur turned and gestured for Ludwig to follow. "Come, I'd like to talk in private. You too, Matthew dear."

Ludwig had no choice as he followed Arthur deeper into his lair. He could hear Arthur murmuring a small rhyme under his breath, barely louder than a whisper.

"_Will you walk into my parlour?" said the Spider to the Fly. 'Tis the prettiest little parlour that ever you did spy; the way into my parlour is up a winding stair. And I've a many curious things to show when you are there_…"

Ludwig shivered. This did not bode well. He must be on guard at every moment…

The small group entered a room that looked suspiciously like a throne room. Kiku and Feliciano were already there, sitting to the right of the opulent throne.

"LUDWIG!" Feliciano shouted happily. He started over to Ludwig but was restrained by Kiku.

"Let him go." Ludwig growled at Kiku who was string back impassively. He looked to Arthur, silently asking if it was all right.

Arthur smiled. So it was true. Ludwig did care for this little boy. How nice, he had leverage…

"Let him go, Kiku." Kiku released Feliciano, albeit reluctantly.

Feliciano headed over to Ludwig. Unfortunately for him, he had chosen to fly.

Kiku's sword was out in a flash. He didn't know what Feliciano was capable of; Arthur shouldn't have ever let him free… He moved closer to Arthur in an effort to protect him from this new threat.

Matthew gaped. What was this boy? He appeared to have wings, like an angel! But, that was silly, wasn't it?

And Arthur's reaction?

Well, Arthur was smiling. *I have, of course, heard of angels, but I never imagined one to be real…And he's staying with Ludwig of all people. Curiouser and Curiouser.*

Ludwig looked over to where Arthur was standing and back to Feliciano, who had wrapped his arms around him and was now hugging him to death. "Feli, you shouldn't have done that…"

"What do you mean, Luddy?" Feliciano looked up with his amber eyes and smiled. "We're together again, so nothing else matters~"

At that Ludwig blushed horribly. He wasn't used to hearing such things being casually said to him. To be truthful, no one had ever said such thing to him. It was…nice…strange, but nice. "Don't say such things… You barely know me."

"How sweet," Arthur clapped his hands gleefully. His voice had changed, Ludwig noticed. It was higher pitched and sweet. Something else had changed, too. His eyes, which up until then had been an emerald green had changed to a vibrant electric blue. "I do so enjoy such lovely sentiments. And from one such as you…Veneziano…"

Feliciano flinched. He had never heard that name, but something about it rang familiar. What Arthur was saying hurt his head… He didn't understand any of it. All he knew was that nonno had found him and his brother in an old monastery one day. That was all.

"Ve~ are you talking to me? But my name's not Veneziano, silly…its Feliciano…"

"No, no, no… Before you were Feliciano, you were Veneziano, don't you know?" By that time; Matthew, Kiku, and Ludwig had guessed that the _thing_ standing there was not Arthur.

"Who are you and what have you done with Arthur-sama?" Kiku had leveled his sword at the imposter, eyes narrowing dangerously.

The imposter smiled gleefully and laughed, "I'm Oliver, of course! Didn't you know? And I haven't done anything to your precious Artie~ He's just taking a little nap."

"W-w-what do you mean?" Matthew spoke up quietly, violet eyes wide with trepidation. "A-a- n-nap?"

Oliver sighed. Didn't they teach anything to children these days? What about the stories, the legends, the folktales? "Just what I said, a nap. He's still here, just…how do you say it…not the driver." Oliver laughed manically.

Kiku glared, sheathing his sword slowly. If what Oliver was saying was correct, that was still Arthur's body and he wouldn't be able to harm it. It was at times like this that he resented being bound to Arthur.

During all of this, Ludwig had been trying to subtly move with Feliciano out of the room, where they would be able to escape. They had made it to the doors and were just barely opening them when a bolt of blue light hurtled towards them.

"VERDAMMT!" Ludwig grabbed Feliciano and tumbled out of the way.

"Eep!" Feliciano was startled by the sudden movement and instinctively grabbed onto Ludwig as he was tumbled around. The two came to a stop a little away from where Oliver was standing with his hand out.

"Tsk, tsk…Leaving so soon? But I haven't even gotten to the good part!"

* * *

**Back with Antonio~**

Lovino was sleeping; crying had exhausted him and the events were too difficult for his brain to process in its stressed state.

Antonio had only left Lovino for a moment to shift and explain why he wouldn't be returning tonight. Vash had been very understanding and Antonio was extremely grateful for that.

He wasn't very far from Lovino and was about to shift back when something Vash was saying caught his ear.

*- Ludwig had acted foolishly, following Matthew and that Italian boy…*

*Eh! Italian, you said? What did he look like?* Antonio hadn't managed to get the whole story out of Lovino, but he knew that Lovi was mourning someone precious to him. Maybe this boy was it…

*He was short, skinny, had brown hair with a weird curl…Why do you ask?* Lovino had brown hair, too. He also had that weird curl; it wasn't coincidence, was it? He must be Lovi's brother! He had to tell him! Lovi would be so happy!

*Ah! Not now amigo! I have to go!* Antonio quickly shifted, pulling on pants and a shirt. He ran over to the sleeping Lovino.

Lovino was immersed in a land of fire and nightmares. He was tossing and turning fitfully when finally he woke, gasping and covered in sweat. "Hah…hah…"

"Lovi, Lovi…" Antonio cooed quietly to the distressed boy. "It's okay, it's just a dream…"

"Nonono!" Lovino shook his head. "H-h-he's s-s-still…"

"No, Lovi, there's still hope!" Antonio smiled brightly and hugged Lovi.

Lovino felt a traitorous spark flicker in his chest at Toni's words. "W-w-what do you mean, hope? Feli's g-g-gone…"

"No, mi amor. I was talking to one of my friends and he said that he saw someone with brown hair and a curl. They were captured along with my friend's brother! So he could still be alive!"

"…" Lovino was speechless. His brother could be…alive? Sure, captured wasn't much better, but Dios mio, he was alive! A laugh escaped Lovino and suddenly he was laughing in relief, tears of happiness pouring down his face. "ALIVE! MIO FRATELLO È VIVO!" he grabbed Antonio's hands and spun him around giddily, high on the relief that Feliciano was still alive.

Antonio smiled broadly, caught up in the celebration. He loved it when Lovi smiled. It lit up a room and was so different from his usually demeanor.

After a while of laughing and celebration, Lovino began to sober up, remembering that Feliciano was still in possible danger.

"Do you know who took Feli?"

"Si! His name is Arthur Kirkland and he lives in England! But Lovi," He paused, "He's really dangerous! Not many have gone against him and survived…"

"Who the f! $ cares? That cazzo has mio fratello and I'm not stopping until I get him back!" Lovino got up, as if to start to England this very minute.

Antonio hurriedly pushed Lovino back to the ground. "Aye~ you can't go after him now! You have to prepare! You have to plan! I don't want you getting hurt!"

"F$ that! I'm leaving now!"

"Lovi~" Antonio gave the boy his best puppy dog eyes, "Por favor~ wait until tomorrow at least…"

"…" Lovino blushed. He'd never admit it, but Antonio looked incredibly cute like that… Although, he did have a point. If he waited until the morning, he'd be stronger…

"Fine, I'll wait until first light…But not a minute later!"

"Gracias!" Antonio glomped Lovi, who was blushing and struggling to get free.

"Oi! Stop that tomato bastard!"

*Whack*

"But Lovi~ You look so cute~"

"CHIGI! Shut up and go to sleep! We have a long day ahead of us and I won't be responsible for your ass if you fall asleep on the way there!"

**Translations~**

**Dios mio- my god**

**Fratello- brother**

**Por favor- please**

**Arrivederci- goodbye**

**Schiße- shit**

**Nachtzehrer- German term for vampire, literally means night waster**

**Amigo- friend**

**Mi amor- my love**

**Mio fratello e vivo- my brother is alive**

**A/N~~ Yay! More updates! I hope you enjoyed this chapter... I'm so glad Lovi wasn't left all alone~ So, I've introduced a couple of new elements to the story, do you like them? I like them, because it means I get to write more characters! I've made it somewhat easy, but brownie points to anyone who recognizes Oliver and Alistair~  
Stay tuned for our next installment, featuring Matthew and Gilbert!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I am so tired of doing this…I don't own anything**

**By the by, most of you already know this, but for those who are new to the fandom or not the sharpest tool in the shed, Oliver is 2p!England and Alistair is Scotland. Cookies from the dark side to all of you who got it~**

**Chapter 8- You're a What?**

As promised, Lovino was up as soon as the sun rose the next morning. Antonio had a bit more trouble getting up and aware. He wasn't used to waking so early. Usually he and his friends were up drinking or having fun until dawn. They slept during the day, they didn't work.

"Ah…Lovi…do we really have to wake up so early?" Antonio whined halfheartedly. Contrary to his words, Antonio was rolling over to get up off the ground.

"_You_ don't have to, bastardo, but I do. You can just keep sleeping for all I care." Lovino got up and retrieved the knapsack with his belongings in it. He began walking away to where he could find a secluded spot to take off. Antonio scrabbled up and stumbled after Lovino. He held out his hand and grabbed the back of Lovino's shirt.

"Espera! Lovi~ don't leave without me~"

Lovino stopped in his tracks. This was an unexpected hitch in his plans. He couldn't reveal his secret, could he? "You're coming with me?! No way, bastardo! For one," he paused trying to think of a good reason to deny Antonio. "You'll only slow me down…"

Antonio smiled and shook his head, "No I won't Lovi~ I can run faster and for longer distances than any human~"

Lovino paused. Faster than any human? That was a strange way to put things. Then he remembered the previous day and the conversation in the bar. "…You still haven't told me what you are, idiota. Remember the bar? And don't bother thinking up an excuse; I already know you're not human."

Antonio frowned. That was a mean thing to say! "How can you say that, Lovi? Of course I'm human! I have blood running through my veins and thoughts running through my head don't I? I'm just a _little_ bit different~" Now how would Antonio go about explaining this? He wasn't really good with words… Oh, yeah! He could just **show** Lovi! Antonio spun around quickly. "Since it's so hard to explain, I'll just show you~"

Lovino blushed as he saw Antonio start to take off his clothes, "What the hell are you doing?! Are you some kind of f!#$ing pervert?! Put you're damn clothes back on!" He was backing away from Antonio rather quickly, a weird expression on his face. And it wasn't disgust …

"But Lovi~ I can't show you while I'm wearing clothes or they'll get ripped. And these are my only set of clothes."

Lovino thought for a second. Was it better to have a naked Spaniard who had clothes to put back on, or a clothed Spaniard who wouldn't have anything shortly? "Chigi…This better be quick."

"Yay! Gracias…" He was so glad Lovi was willing to see more of his world~ Antonio continued stripping until he stood entirely naked in the field. Lovino had only averted his gaze after Antonio's shirt came off. *Dios mio…why does he have to be so…Wait. Why am I thinking these types of thoughts?!* Lovino blushed even more after he realized that he found Antonio attractive. He wasn't going to let the tomato bastard know that, though…

"A-are you done yet?"

"Si! Almost finished~"

Lovino was facing away from Antonio when he felt a cold, wet nose push into his hand. "Waah!" A startled shriek emitted from Lovino's mouth. He was expecting a lot of things, but this wasn't one of them.

He spun around and came face to face with a large brown colored wolf. It stood where Antonio had just seconds before. He had brown fur the same shade as Antonio's hair and his eyes were the same color, too.

"Wha-wha… what are you?!" His mouth was wide open and his eyes were as big as saucers. But that wasn't the worst of it. Lovino's wings had shot out after he was startled and there were now two black crescents extending from his back. Cazzo. This was going to be hard to explain, if not impossible.

Antonio had shifted back quickly after Lovino's shriek and was now attempting to put his clothes on as fast as he could. This task was made harder by the fact that Lovino had two new appendages that Antonio couldn't tear his eyes from. He knew there was something different about his Lovi! The wings made him look like an angel…

"Answer me! What the hell are you?!" Lovino was beginning to sound a little hysterical, much to Antonio's dismay. This obviously wasn't going so well…

"Soy un hombre lobo obviously!" Antonio replied cheerfully, as if he hadn't just revealed some huge hidden secret. "Are you un àngel?"

Lovino sputtered. An angel? Was Toni blind? Like he could ever be an angel… "The f!$#? No, I'm not, thank you very much! And…weren't we talking about you? How can you be a wolf?"

Antonio looked thoughtful for a moment. "Lo siento, No se~"

"…"

"Really, I don't! I swear!"

"…Fine. Now that we've gotten all cozy and intimate, let's get the hell out of here and rescue my brother." Lovino stalked off towards the beginning of the forest and paused. "Are you coming or not, bastardo?" He spread his wings to their full extent and looked back. "I'm not waiting for you…"

Antonio smiled broadly. Yay! He could spend more time with Lovi~ this was going to be so fun! "Si, I'm ready! We're supposed to meet up with a friend of mine in France. He knows exactly where you're hermano is." Antonio once again removed his clothes and placed them in a satchel. He shifted into a wolf and padded after Lovino.

Lovino breathed deeply, the air swirling around his form. Antonio was next to him like he had always been there and always would. "We'll meet up on the Swiss border. Just follow me, if you can keep up," he added, not able to resist one last jibe.

Antonio grinned. *You're on~ See you at the border, Lovi!*

"…Let's go. And stop calling me that!"

With that Lovino spread his wings and took off, Antonio running beneath him, following him wherever he went.

* * *

"…He's still here, just…how do you say it…not the driver." Matthew's eyes widened. This didn't sound like a good thing. What had happened to Arthur? To the wonderful, caring man who'd raised him and Alfred? How did this happen? He hoped Arthur wasn't gone…Alfred would be devastated.

At times like this, Matthew was glad he could turn invisible. He had managed to sneak towards the door and was out before he heard and saw the blue flames hitting it.

He ran down the stairs, grabbed Kumajirou, and was out of there like smoke. Maple leaf…What could he do? He had to save Arthur and Kiku and the others. But he wasn't a hero. That was Alfred's job…

Alfred.

Of course! He would go and find Alfred. Granted, he had no idea where in the world he was, but last he heard Alfred was travelling with someone named Lars. Maybe he could start there? Ummm… Lars was in the Netherlands, so maybe he should head across the channel. Head down through France, then up.

Yes, this was the beginning of a wonderful plan. Find Alfred and _he'll _save Arthur and the others.

It was foolproof.

* * *

Gilbert was in France now. After he had rushed from the bar he began chasing after Arthur's men. Getting the rundown from Vash, he had managed to track them to France where the trail ran cold. Francis had been with him every step of the way, his backup as always. *Mein Gott! Why do they have to be so damned fast?*

*Ah…I do not know… Have you thought about where they might be heading next?*

*Ja…my best guess is that they're in Arthur's territory now.*

*…joie…*

*Yeah. Hey, do you hear that?* Gilbert's keen ears had picked up the sound of labored breathing and hurried footsteps. Strange, he didn't see anything… But he could smell lavender and…maple syrup?

*Do you need help or can I leave for a few?* Francis inquired.

*I got this. It's only one person against the awesome me. They don't have a chance!*

*Okay, au revoir.* Francis disappeared into the forest, presumably heading towards a town to find a warm bed and company.

Gilbert turned to where the noise was fading rapidly. So, they were running away, huh? He stretched and began loping after them, not quite running. He still couldn't see anything, but the scent of maple syrup was becoming stronger. He could hear labored breathing speed up, the shadow was moving faster. Gil grinned and sped up. They were no match for his speed…

After a few moments of chasing, Gilbert finally realized that whoever it was had to be cloaking themselves. This was getting more interesting by the second. After a little ways more, he could see they were heading towards a moonlit clearing. When they were about halfway across, Gilbert jumped and landed on top of the maple-scented shadow. To his surprise, the shadow melted away and revealed a young boy with wavy hair and violet eyes clutching a polar bear.

The wolf that had trapped Matthew was hands-down the scariest thing Mattie had seen in his life. It was huge with pure white fur like freshly fallen snow. But the scariest part was the eyes, no doubt. They were blood red, the moonlight reflecting off of them making them glow. Matthew winced and curled into a smaller ball. The wolf leaned down and sniffed his hair. Matthew made a small squeaking noise, closing his eyes tightly.

Suddenly, the weight of the wolf left him. Matthew took in a deep breath and began sitting up, his eyes wide at the sight before him.

Where the wolf had been seconds before stood a man, unabashedly naked. His hair and eyes were the same color as the wolf's had been. Oh, dear…This must be one of Ludwig's pack members…

"S-s-stay away!" Matthew squeaked as the strange man came closer.

Gilbert cocked his head curiously. Who was this boy? He had spunk, he'd give him that. "Why should I? Just who are you and what are you doing in the forest in the middle of the night?"

Matthew hissed at the strange man. "Stay away!" His fangs peeked out slightly from his mouth.

Gilbert saw the fangs and connected the dots. Oh. So he's a vamp, huh? Didn't Vash say something about a violet-eyed blonde helping to capture Luddy? Fate must be smiling on him today. "Answer me this, are you part of Arthur's coven?"

Matthew shook his head stubbornly, "I'm not telling you anything, you disgusting MUTT!" The last part was uttered with a hiss, Matthew's eyes narrowing unhappily.

Gilbert smirked. So this one had spirit, huh? Those were always the most fun~

Matthew saw the smirk and his stomached dropped. Maple…This couldn't be good.

Not good at all.

**Translations~~**

**Bastardo- bastard**

**Espera- wait **

**Gracias- thank you**

**Dios mio- my God**

**Si- yes**

**Soy un hombre lobo- I'm a werewolf (Literal translation- man wolf- taken from an old Spanish legend)**

**Un Angel- an angel**

**Lo siento, No se- I'm sorry, I don't know**

**Hermano- brother**

**Mein Gott- My God**

**Ja- yes**

**Au revoir- goodbye**

**A/N~~ Yay...PruCan... and more Spamano! No Germany or Italy this time, sorry... I felt Lovi and Toni weren't getting enough screentime...  
Answer me this, do you like it when other characters' POV's are told, or do you just prefer Feli and Lovi? I like the multiple POV's, but some of you may find it a little confusing...sorry about that...PM me if it gets too overwhelming, but I think I'll continue adding other characters into the story. Of course, Lovi and Feli will be the main focus, but I feel that the extra POV's will add a little more to the story as a whole, you know?  
Ah...I guess that's all...I'll update on the morrow!  
My luv to all of you!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: …Nope…Unfortunately, I don't own squat. If I did, there'd be a lot more GerIta and Spamano…**

**Back to Feli and our lovely 2p!England**

**Chapter 9: **

_"Master, Oliver has located the first angel. It will not be long before it is captured."_

_ "…Good. What of the other?"_

_ "Sadiq has been trailing it. He followed it to France. Soon enough, it will be within our reach."_

_ "Wonderful. Don't you love it when things go well?"_

_ "…"_

_ "Not long now my friend. Heaven will rue the day it crossed me."_

* * *

"Tsk, tsk…Leaving so soon? But I haven't even gotten to the good part!" Oliver giggled, his blue eyes dancing with mirth. "You wouldn't want to leave so soon luvs, right? We've been having so much fun!"

"Let us go, you freak," Ludwig ground out. He was still holding Feliciano who was cuddling into his chest, facing away from Oliver.

"Well! That wasn't very nice, now was it?" Oliver chided, "My feelings are hurt… Why are you so grumpy?" Contrary to his words, Oliver was still smiling happily. "Oh, you must be hungry~ My little Alfie always gets like this too whenever he's missed a meal." Oliver clapped his hands and blue smoke began pouring out. It puddled on the floor, becoming thicker and thicker. When the smoke cleared there was a plate filled with…cupcakes? Now don't get me wrong, they were very nice cupcakes, perfectly formed with sprinkles and brightly colored frosting. Ludwig just wasn't expecting cupcakes. He was expecting something more along the lines of severed human body parts or entrails, not bright, fluffy cupcakes.

"Those…are…"

"Would you like a cupcake, luv? I made them especially for you," Oliver grinned brightly, holding out one of the cupcakes like it was a peace offering.

Feliciano peeked out from where he had been and stared at the cupcakes. They looked so good, but something was telling him to not eat a single one of them.

"…Ludwig? Those cupcakes are scaring meee~" He began waving around a little white flag (where the heck did that come from?!) and continued hugging Ludwig who was beginning to look just a little bit uncomfortable.

"Feliciano…"

"Scary? My cupcakes? Nonsense, you just need to try one!" Oliver sounded scandalized. How dare they say his cupcakes were scary? They haven't even tried one…

Oliver waved his hand and a cupcake flew to each person in the room. "Eat one and I'll let you out~"

They couldn't be that bad, could they? Ludwig plucked the cupcake out of the air and held it in his hand. The icing was designed to look just like the German flag. He found Feliciano's cupcake, too. It looked about the same, but the icing was colored like the Italian flag.

"Feli… The cupcakes can't be all that bad, can they? Look," Ludwig put the cupcake under Feliciano's nose, "Doesn't it look nice? We just have to eat this and-"

Ludwig was cut off when he heard Kiku groan and double up.

"Kiku! What's wrong?!"

"Oh bollocks…I put the wrong poison into his cupcake. He was supposed to get the arsenic…"

Ludwig threw his cupcake towards Oliver where it hit his face. Cupcake bits and icing covered Oliver's face and dropped onto his clothes. "YOU!"

"Well honestly, what did you expect? That I'd just let you go? Well maybe you can go, you're not important, but I need him." Oliver pointed to Feliciano who was watching Kiku collapse onto the floor.

"Kiku!" Feliciano struggled out of Ludwig's grasp and ran to where Kiku was curled into a ball on the floor. "Kiku… Don't die!"

"It's far too late for that, dearie~ he'll be dead before dessert, which is a real shame…" Oliver chuckled madly and waved another hand. "Oh dear, I've made such a mess. Well, I guess I'd better just clean it up, hmm?" Another bolt of blue lighting shot out of his hand straight towards Kiku's prone body.

"NOOO!" Feliciano yelled, moving between the flame and Kiku. Ludwig had also moved, trying to instinctively protect Feliciano. Feli closed his eyes and waited for the bolt to hit. He prayed it wouldn't hurt…

Before it could reach him a bubble of white energy formed around Feli and the others. It looked very much like a force field. Feliciano's eyes were glowing as were his wings.

The light continued to brighten, blinding Ludwig. He squinted, barely able to see Feliciano now.

All at once, all the light vanished.

Feliciano was still standing in the same spot, but something seemed innately different to Ludwig. Maybe it was the way he held himself, proud and strong, not flinching as he had been previously.

Maybe it was the soft glow around him, barely there, but filling the room with warmth.

Or maybe it was his aura. Feliciano was giving off waves of power, unlike anything Ludwig had ever felt. To be truthful it scared him. So many things about this situation scared him.

"Veneziano! So glad you could join us! It's been a long while, hasn't it?" Unbelievably, Oliver was still his same jovial self, albeit looking a little worse for the wear. He seemed to be in pain, the areas where the light had touched his skin were burned red. "It took you long enough~"

Feliciano (or Veneziano now, Ludwig guessed) turned towards Oliver. "Begone demon. You have caused enough chaos in this world."

"But Veneziano, I haven't caused nearly enough," Oliver smiled, "Why, I'm only just beginning!"

Veneziano smiled unhappily, "So be it." He held out his hand and a large cross¹ appeared. He brandished it and Oliver began retreating, his hands held up in front of him as if to ward off the rapidly approaching man.

"Ah, now, now... There's no need for that, is there old friend?" Oliver giggled nervously.

Veneziano didn't reply.

Oliver could see he was backed into a corner. "FINE! I'll leave… But don't think this is even close to over…"

And Oliver departed Arthur's body with the smell of cupcakes and brimstone.

The cross in Veneziano's hand disappeared and he went over to Kiku, still in the throes of the poison. He placed a hand on his head and a soft glow emitted from where his palm made contact with Kiku's skin. In front of Ludwig's eyes Kiku began to relax, the poison leaving his body, letting him fall into a natural healing sleep.

Ludwig spoke up in the silence. "Who are you?"

Veneziano smiled and Ludwig could see hints of Feliciano within. "You have to be there for him, you know," Veneziano ignored Ludwig's question.

"But why? Is something going to happen?"

Veneziano looked into the distance, "I do not claim to forsee the future, but I know there is something stirring. Ancient grudges and buried skeletons… You must promise to be there, for Feliciano plays an important role and without you, he will crumble beneath the weight."

With those parting words the light dimmed from Feliciano's body and he collapsed into Ludwig' arms.

* * *

"LET ME GOOO!" Gilbert winced; Matthew's shrill shrieks went straight to his head, giving him a massive headache.

"Shut up, kid! Crying's not gonna make this any easier on us. And I'm not letting you go." Matthew stopped yelling for a second.

"What do you want?! I don't have anything valuable…" he had asked the same question several times previously and the albino had yet to answer.

"Not much, just got a few questions, that all."

"And you had to kidnap me to ask?"

"Hey, don't question the awesomeness that is me."

"I'll question you all I want," Matthew retorted.

"Yeah, yeah… Hey, what's your name again? I forgot…"

Matthew sighed. It wasn't an unusual occurrence, people forgetting his name. Even Arthur forgot and he was the one who'd raised him! "It's Matthew…"

"Oh, yeah! Matthew! I'm the awesome Gilbert…" Gilbert stopped and put Matthew down gently. He heard a small oomph come from the boy as he let go of Gilbert's arms. Matthew quickly turned away and Gilbert realized that he was still naked. Oh… "Let me go grab some clothes… Hey," he turned back around, "don't run off, okay? Else I'd have to chase you again~" He winked and Mattie blushed.

*Maple…* "Fine."

"Be back quick, birdie~"

Maple, Matthew had to get going. He didn't know if Arthur and the others were okay…wait…birdie? Where'd that come from?!

"Eh?! Kumakiro? Where'd you go this time?" Matthew looked around for his polar bear and found him sitting with some weird little bird nestled in his fur. "Who's this?"

"Who are you?"

"I'm Matthew…" See, even his pet didn't remember his name. It was kind of depressing…

"HEY! Birdie! Where'd you go- oh! I see you've found Gilbird," Gilbert smiled. The kid looked so cute standing there with his hair all messy and glasses askew. Gilbird had made a nest within the silky strands, cheeping happily.

"I-is that his name?" Matthew was suddenly shy for some reason. His voice had become a lot quieter, almost a whisper.

"Yeah, named after the awesome me, of course!" Gilbert laughed. He liked this little birdie… It was interesting how he kept switching between a bold personality and meeker one…

"Err…" Matthew didn't know what to say next, "Didn't you have some questions for me?"

"Oh, yeah!" Gilbert thought for a moment. He had almost forgotten his reason for being here in the first place. "Hey, you're a vamp, right?"

"…that wasn't a nice way of putting it, but, yeah, I guess so…"

"So do you a dude called Arthur? He has mein bruder and I'm looking for him."

Matthew looked surprised. He dad deduced that Gilbert was a part of Ludwig's pack, but he'd never guess they were brothers. They acted so differently! "Yeah, Arthur's my dad."

"Really? So you know where he is, right?"

"…Yeah…maybe…"

"C'mon, don't look so pained! You're helping the greater good here!"

"Heheheh…greater good, huh?" Matthew grinned. "Ah, well, I guess I could show you…" This way he was killing two birds with one stone. He could get Gil to help rescue Arthur and Gil could get Ludwig back. After Arthur was done with him, of course.

"Awesome! Danke Birdie!" To Matthew's utmost surprise Gilbert hugged him strongly, engulfing him in the smell of beer and forest.

"Eh…happy to…" Matthew blushed. Gilbert was no slouch in the looks department and apparently it was affecting him. Maple…He might even like this loud-mouthed man.

* * *

"Maledizione! You just had to try and jump, didn't you?"

"Lo siento Lovi… I thought it was closer to the bottom," Antonio apologized. He was currently sitting on a small log with Lovino looking over his sprained wrist. They were just past the Swiss alps when Antonio tried to jump from a seemingly small cliff onto the ground. Needless to say, he underestimated the amount of space between the two and ended up getting his wrist sprained. He would be unable to shift until the sprain healed.

"You're an idiot, you know that? An idiot!" Lovino growled. Stupid bastard just had to show off, didn't he? Couldn't take the path down, nooo, he had to jump. And look where that got him.

"Lo siento…"

"Chigi… Now what am I going to do?"

"What do you mean, Lovi? You have to go rescue your brother, don't you?" Antonio had assumed that Lovi would carry on and leave him behind. While he didn't want that, he wanted for Lovi to find his brother who was so important to him.

"…Cazzo. I can't very well leave you, can I?" Lovino grumbled. Yeah, he wanted to rescue his fratello, but if he left that bubble headed Spaniard all alone, who knows what would happen? "I guess we'll have to stick with wal- GYAAAH!" Antonio had just glomped Lovi, causing him to yell out.

"DON"T DO THAT!"

*Wham!*

"But Lovi~"

"Shaddup!"

**Translations-**

**Mein Bruder- my brother**

**Danke- thank you**

**Maledizione- dammit**

**Lo siento- I'm sorry**

**Fratello- brother**

**A/N~~ Hello! I'm back with Feli and Ludwig~ This was a fun chapter to write, I love writing 2p!England for some reason...  
Don't have much to say this time...  
Se you next time!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything**

**OMG! I made it to chapter ten! I'm so proud of myself.**

**Chapter 10: Romano?**

**Somewhere in France**

"Lovi~ I'm tired… Can we stop for a minute?"

"You were the one who sprained your wrist, now you deal with the consequences."

"But Lovi~"

"No means no bastardo."

Antonio pouted, his lower lip sticking out in an expression so cute it should be illegal. Lovino blushed. Dammit…

"…F-fine…But only for a minute, you hear?" He turned away from Antonio's hug in a huff, unhappy that he had once again given in to the Spaniard's demands.

"Yay~" Antonio plopped down on a nearby log and rubbed his sore feet. He wasn't used to walking as a human for long periods of time. His wolf was much more comfortable and a whole lot more durable. "Gracias mi tomate~"

"Stop calling me that," Lovino protested halfheartedly. He really didn't mind it all that much, but dammit, he had an image to uphold!

Antonio smiled; his Lovi was so easy to see through sometimes… Course, he'd never admit that out loud. He enjoyed seeing Lovino get all flustered. "Look Lovi, a turtle!" he scooped up a small turtle from the creek behind him and showed it to Lovino. "Isn't it muy lindo?"

"Wha- where'd that come from?!" Indeed, Lovino did think it was a little cute…maybe…okay, it was a lot cute.

"Ooh! Can I name it? I'm going to call it Tomatino~"

"Che cazzo? You don't name things you're just gonna throw back! And you can't keep it!" Lovino added after seeing Antonio's face.

"Awww… Lovi~"

"No. And besides, what were you planning on doing with it when your wrist healed? You can't carry it and there's no way I hell I will."

"…Awww….You're probably right… Adios mi tortuga lindo…" He gently set the turtle back into the creek and let it swim off, presumably to its little turtle home~

"Hah! Still playing with turtles, Tonio?" The grating voice came from the other side of the creek.

Antonio gasped. It wasn't possible! Sadiq was dead! He saw him die! But here he was, Sadiq Adnan in the flesh. Back from whatever hell he was sent to when he died.

"Who the hell are you?" Lovino growled. He didn't like the look this strange man was giving him. It was too familiar and lustful. Lovino shivered. This man made him want to run and hide…

"What? How? Sadiq?" Antonio was confused. The last time he'd seen Sadiq was at the bottom of a gorge, his broken body being swept away by the river.

"Been a while hasn't it? Thought you saw the last of me, did ya?" Sadiq smirked, his eyed hidden behind his trademark white mask. 'Sorry to say, I'm back. And on a mission to boot."

"Wha- what's he talking about, Toni?" Lovino demanded, looking at Antonio. He was a bit confused at first, but by now he had guess that Sadiq was someone from Antonio's past. "Let's dump this asshole and get going!"

"Sorry **Romano**, no can do." Sadiq walked closer to the pair, his cloak flowing out behind him.

Romano? All of a sudden, Lovino had the worst headache known to man. He knew that name, didn't he? The memory was elusive like a name on the tip of his tongue. If he could only remember, everything would come rushing back.

There. A memory. Nothing more than a wisp, it was enough. Lovino remembered and everything became clear.

Antonio watched Lovino collapse after the name Romano passed through Sadiq's lips. "What did you do?! LOVI!" He stood up and moved to Lovino. He checked over the boy, ensuring nothing was harmed.

"Awww, he's just remembering. No biggie," Sadiq shrugged his shoulders. "Gonna have one hell of a headache, but he'll be okay. Too bad you won't be there to see it." With those words, Sadiq rushed towards Antonio, a small sword at the ready.

Antonio narrowly dodged the first swing and then cursed. He couldn't shift yet and he couldn't leave Lovino. He was stuck between a rock and a hard place. Crap, how was he going to get out of this one?

Sadiq swung around and another swing of the sword came, this time aimed at Toni's head.

Antonio dodged this one too, but didn't see the fist heading for his abdomen. It made contact with him and Antonio doubled up, suddenly out of air. He slid down, his body crying out for oxygen it wasn't getting.

And if that wasn't enough, a booted foot swung at his stomach and made contact.

Tears of pain sprung to Antonio's eyes and he let out a pained gasp.

"Heh, sorry 'bout this Antonio. It's nothing personal, but I need your little boy toy." Sadiq grinned sadistically and raised his sword. Antonio closed his eyes, anticipating the death strike. *I'm sorry, Lovi…I'm sorry I couldn't protect you. Sorry I couldn't help you…*

The blade began its downward descent.

* * *

**Arthur's Home in Great Britain**

"Ludwig-san? But, why?" Kiku woke up lying on the ground, his katana lying on the ground near him. Ludwig was holding an unconscious Feliciano gently and looked over to Kiku.

"Ah…How are you feeling?"

"Kiku frowned. The last thing he remembered was eating a piece of that cupcake. He vaguely remembered a lot of pain and bright lights, but nothing concrete. "I am fine, thank you. What happened?"

"Oliver, he gave us the cupcakes. After you collapsed, he was about to finish you off when…when Feliciano stepped between you two. I don't quite understand what happened next, but my best guess is that Feliciano somehow…exorcised Oliver from Arthur's body. And now we're here."

"Ah…I suppose I must thank you and, Feliciano-san, was it?"

"Ja. No need to thank me. Feliciano did most of the work…"

"But still, you were the only one left conscious, since I assume Arthur-sama is also… You could have left us. Just taken Feliciano-san and returned home. But you didn't, and for that I am grateful."

Ludwig blushed slightly, "Nein, it seemed the right thing to do. I couldn't just leave you, even if you threatened us."

Kiku bowed his head gratefully. "I hope that in the future we will be able to co-exist peacefully. Please excuse me, but do you suppose it would be feasible to have a truce between our groups?"

"…Ja…A truce… I think that would be possible…"

"Owww…bloody hell, my head…" Arthur's voice alerted Ludwig and Kiku to the fact that he was stirring.

"Arthur-sama! How are you feeling?" Kiku rushed over to his master, helping him to sit up.

"…Physically, fine." Arthur stood up and brushed off his overcoat. 'Mentally, I'm not sure if I'll ever be fine." His eyes when he gazed around were haunted, as if he was still in some intangible hell no one else could see. "Oliver…he…" Arthur winced, "Bugger, I still have an awful headache…"

Kiku supported Arthur as he staggered towards Ludwig and Feliciano.

"Is he the one Oliver was talking about?" Arthur questioned. His eyes were on the boy's prone form. Honestly, he didn't look like very much. He was short and scrawny. His hair was auburn with a weird little curl. He didn't look like someone who would be able to topple Heaven or Hell.

"…Ja." Ludwig replied stiffly. Though Arthur was acting much more cordially, Ludwig didn't quite trust him yet.

Arthur saw Ludwig's distrusting gaze and smiled sadly, "I know you have no reason to trust me, but I am dearly sorry for all I've done. The things I have done in the past…are unforgivable…but please believe that I regret all of it."

Ludwig stared at Arthur. His eyes were asking for no forgiveness, just understanding. The way he held himself was insecurity hiding behind pride. He made no excuses for his actions, accepting any censure Ludwig had.

"Ve~ Ludwig?" Feliciano opened his eyes slowly. He was sitting cradled in Ludwig's lap. It was so warm and comforting, making Feliciano feel safe and secure.

"Feliciano! Are you feeling okay?" Ludwig looked over the small Italian carefully. He didn't appear to have any injuries, but maybe there was something he missed…

"Ve~ I'm fine Luddy!" Feliciano looked around curiously, "What happened?"

"Ah…It's a long story, Feli…" Ludwig was careful with what he said. If Feliciano truly didn't remember anything, then maybe it would be better to not tell him.

"Feliciano-san, please accept my dearest apologies. You have my utmost gratitude for what you've done for me."

"Ve~ but I didn't do anything!" Feliciano looked confused and then brightened. "Do you want to be my friend? I like making new friends~"

"Ah… Hai. I would like for us to be friends," Kiku smiled. Feliciano was a very kind young man and very sweet, too. He could see that Feliciano still looked very tired and didn't hesitate in offering hospitality. "Ludwig and Feliciano, you look tired. Would you like to stay here for a while and rest?"

"Si! Grazie~ your home looks very nice!" Feliciano beamed. Yaay! He would be able to spend more time with his new friend! "Hello!" He addressed Arthur who was standing a way's back from the group. "What's your name? I'm Feliciano~ It's nice to meet you~" he waved his hand madly.

"Me? My name is Arthur Kirkland. It is a pleasure to meet you too, Feliciano. He seemed bewildered, unsure what to do with this energetic young boy. Ludwig smiled at the sight. It seems he wasn't the only one to be left wondering when it came to the Italian.

Kiku stood once again. "It is getting late. We should retire to an area of the mansion that is more comfortable. Is anyone hungry?"

"SI! SI!" Feliciano raised his hand, "Do you have any pasta? I like pasta. It's delicious and yummy and good for you! I could eat it all day, but my fratello says that if I do, I'll get a tummy ache and that wouldn't be good… Pasta, pasta, pasta…" Feliciano continued to ramble on about pasta, much to the amusement of the others.

"Yes, Feliciano-kun. I do believe we have pasta. If you would like to go on ahead, the kitchen is through these doors and down the hall on the right. It's the room with a wooden door covered in drawings of food."

Before the last of the words left Kiku's mouth, Feliciano was gone and running towards the kitchen, chanting pasta all the way.

Feliciano found the kitchen quite easily. He seemed to have a talent for locating areas where food was prepared. He was a very good cook, but usually didn't have the materials to make a true culinary masterpiece. That was sad, but his fratello was doing his very best, so Feliciano didn't mind!

Feli rummaged through the numerous cupboards until he had located what he needed. He brought out pasta, several tomatoes, spices, butter, and a bit of meat. He placed all the ingredients on a long table and began preparing his favorite dish of all time.

He placed the pasta in boiling water and began humming a little nonsensical tune. Feli mixed the tomatoes and spices together in a different pot to make the sauce. Hmmm…should he add meat to it? Ah, why not?

Feliciano was having lots of fun making pasta. This was a special treat for him and he was so happy he could share his love for the dish with all of his friends. Wasn't it nice? And the best part was he made two new friends within as many days.

Wasn't life wonderful?

By the time he had finished making the pasta and splitting it up between four plates the others had made their way to the dining room.

"Feliciano! The pasta looks marvelous!" Arthur exclaimed. Feliciano was a very talented cook; he was slightly tempted to ask him to cook for his house…

Kiku was extremely glad that Feliciano was a much better cook than Arthur. For the past several weeks, he had been subjected to the worst culinary nightmares imaginable, thanks to Arthur's inability to cook even a bit. "Hai, you are a very gifted cook. Itadakimasu."

Ludwig tried a bit of the food Feliciano had prepared. It was delicious, savory and filling. He smiled. Ludwig hadn't had food like this for a very long time. His mother died when he was young and Gilbert, while an excellent older brother, was not the world's best cook. His culinary talents extended to wurst and other traditional German dishes. "It is delicious, Feli. Far better than anything I could have made."

Feliciano beamed. Everyone loved it! He was so happy…

He wished they could continue on like this forever. Eating and talking at the dinner table like a real family.

The only thing that would make this meal perfect was his fratello Lovino.

* * *

**Back To Lovi and Toni**

Lovino was floating. He was immersed in a world of white.

He giggled. If he could lie in a cloud, he imagined this is what it would feel like.

Peaceful.

He looked around. "Antonio? Fratello? Anyone?" Getting no answer he sighed. Alone again. Not like he wasn't used to it, he just wanted someone to talk to.

"Hello Lovino."

"Gyah! Who are you?!" Lovino spun around clumsily, coming face to face with…himself?

"My name is Romano. My name is Lovino. My name is whatever you want it to be," The angel replied happily. And it was an angel. Let me tell you, it was weird as hell to see yourself clothed in nothing more than a dress and halo, carrying a sword. Or at least, that was Lovino's reaction.

"Where am I?" Lovino asked. If he wasn't going to get answers about his name, he might as well ask something constructive.

"Where do you think you are?" The angel seemed hell-bent (or was it heaven-bent?) on providing Lovino with nothing but more questions.

"Am I dead?"

"Only if you think so."

Finally, an answer that wasn't another damn question. Oops, probably shouldn't be swearing in Heaven…Damn.

"It's okay. Nothing I haven't heard before." Lovino gaped at the angel. Was he just?

"Reading your thoughts? Yes. And no. I'm you, so you're thoughts are my thoughts. Or are my thoughts your thoughts? It's a little confusing but nothing you won't be able to figure out." The angel said cheerfully.

"My thoughts are your thoughts?" Lovino seemed bewildered.

"Yes, I am you, you are me, and we are one person." Romano smiled. "It's all in your head; you just have to sort through it."

"But why me? Why not my idiot fratello? He has to be ten times better than me…"

"Feliciano has his own angel. My brother, in fact. He's in good hands."

"Why me?"

"You're special. You have the power to shape the world, to bring heaven and hell crashing down. Or, you could be our savior. It all depends on the path you forge. And that's why Veneziano and I merged our souls with you. The big man upstairs wants you to make the right choices."

"…"

"It's a lot to take in," Romano said. "I'm going to leave you to search through your memories for the answers you seek. But don't worry. I won't be far from you. Just call my name."

Romano waved his hand and Lovino tumbled into the sea of memories.

**Translations~**

**Gracias mi tomate- Thank you my Tomato**

**muy lindo- very cute**

**Che Cazzo- WTF**

**Adios mi tortuga lindo- goodbye my cute turtle**

**Ja/****Hai- yes**

**Nein- no**

**Si! Grazie- Yes! Thank you**

**Fratello- Brother**

**Itadakimasu- Let's eat**

**A/N~~ Yay! This is really getting interesting now! How do you like Romano? He's a little more calm and staedy than Lovi, but thats okay.  
Don't worry, Antonio's going to be perfectly fine...maybe...  
I really wanna bring back 2p!England... He's one of my favorite characters...  
Are you enjoying this so far? Do you like where its going? I hope so...  
Keep hanging and join us for the next chapter~**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: Owning none of this since the beginning of time.**

**What's going to happen to Antonio? And how are Arthur and the gang doing?**

**Chapter 11: Of Grecians and Turks**

*I'm sorry Lovi…*

The blade began its downward descent.

*CRACK*

Lovino suddenly appeared in front of Antonio wielding a glowing sword. His wings had extended and there was a bloodthirsty smile on his face. "Why don't you fight someone your own size, bastard?"

"So you're finally back in the land of the living Romano. About time, I was getting bored with your little boyfriend here." Sadiq swung his sword towards Lovino's head.

"Yeah, well," Lovino scowled, batting away his strike easily and pushing his own sword to Sadiq's throat. "See if I give a damn whether you're bored or not."

"Oh, look Antonio! Seems like your little kitty has more balls than you do!"

While Sadiq was laughing Lovino swiftly kicked him in his vital regions. Hard. He smiled viciously when Sadiq groaned. "Look who's talking." He brought out a length of rope and tied Sadiq to a nearby tree.

Lovino turned towards Antonio without taking his eyes off of Sadiq. To Antonio's surprise, his eyes were glowing. He might have looked like Lovi, he might even be Lovi, but there was something decidedly **not** Lovi about him.

"You're not my Lovi…"

Romano looked over Antonio, "So you're not as dense as Lovino thinks. No, I am not Lovino. Though, in a way, I am. I am called Romano and- DUCK!"

Antonio shot to the ground as Romano tackled him.

"Hey, Sadiq. What's taking so long?" A boy a bit younger than Romano stepped out of the brush. He wore a white keffiyeh and khaki clothing. His accent sounded strange, Egyptian, maybe? "Oh." In his hands was a long staff from which a burst of light had emitted.

"Damn, there are more of you," Romano sighed, getting up and helping Antonio to his feet.

"Really, Sadiq? A boy and an injured man got the best of you?"

"Shut up Gupta! He's not just a boy, you should know that!"

"…Still," Gupta sighed, "You should at least be able to capture a barely trained angel, no matter the power level."

Romano cleared his throat, "You know what? While you two bastards are discussing, we'll just get the f!#$ out of here."

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that. We have orders, you see," Gupta readied his staff and a green fog began seeping out onto the forest floor. It progressed rapidly towards the pair and quickly surrounded them. Antonio was the first to fall. His muscles suddenly froze and he slid to the ground for the second time that day. Romano attempted to fly clear of the mist but as soon as he got off the ground it enveloped him, sending him straight down. *Cazzo! It's a paralyzing agent!*

Gupta lodged the staff in the ground and went over to his comrade who was still tied to the tree. Quickly untying him, Gupta stood back and handed Sadiq his sword.

"Do what you want to the man, but we need the Italian in mint condition."

"Finally," Sadiq grinned. "You're gonna pay for what happened." He advanced on the helpless Antonio who was making a fruitless endeavor to try and move. Romano lay near them glowering, trying to burn a hole through Sadiq with just his eyes. Needless to say, it didn't work.

"Hah! This time it's for real and there's no boyfriend to rescue you~ Say goodbye Tonio!"

Sadiq once again raised his sword as Antonio and Romano looked on with horrified looks.

"Stop," A man stepped out from the brush calm as could be. He was dressed rather sloppily and looked as if he had just climbed out of bed. His eyes were half lidded with sleep. He had a staff with him, much like Gupta's, but his was shaped like a large cross. It was also glowing, but with a white light.

Sadiq growled. From where Antonio was lying, it appeared that he couldn't move. He was frozen with the blade hanging in the air, ready to kill if only it could move.

"Heracles…You bastard. Let me go."

Heracles shook his head slowly, "No, I don't think I will. Why are you killing this man?" He motioned towards Antonio who was still lying on the ground. Antonio's eyes widened as invisible hands picked him up and dusted him off. They moved him over to Heracles who appeared to be having a glaring contest with Sadiq. Romano got the same treatment, relieved to have control of his own body again. Antonio moved experimentally, only to find the paralysis had been removed.

"Ah…Gracias…My name is Antonio. Thank you for helping me and my Lovi."

"Bastardo, don't introduce me like that! And, err, grazie. For helping us." He added, looking to Heracles.

"Oh…It was no problem. Thwarting this idiot's plans is always fun. It was nothing," Heracles shrugged. A cat was lazing on his shoulder and he began petting it. "I am curious, though…Why was he trying to kill you?"

"HEY! BASTARD!" Sadiq shouted. He was still frozen in place and extremely unhappy about it. "LET ME GO SO I CAN KILL _YOU_!"

Heracles sighed. He blinked once or twice while thinking. "I don't think so. This is quite entertaining, seeing you like this. Now shut up, you're interrupting grown-up conversations." He turned back to Romano and Antonio who began filling them in on the situation. For some reason, they felt like Heracles was an extremely trustworthy person…

Gupta paled. That man…Heracles…He'd heard tales of him. The Grecian mage who traveled with a cross and cats. It was rumored he took on an entire Turkish army and emerged victorious. His magic prowess was second only to Arthur Kirkland, Lukas Bondevik, and Andrei Dracul (A/N~ Romania 'cause I couldn't find an official name or anything…). Though he looked lazy and half asleep, this was one person no one wanted to mess with…

"Gupta! Help me DAMMIT!"

"Ah…There's another?"

Gupta swallowed heavily. Heracles was staring at him. He began sweating. "L-leave! T-this is none of your business!" He held out his staff warningly.

"Stop." With that one word, Heracles effectively halted any and all action coming from Gupta. "If you value your life, you'll leave and never come back." He released Gupta from his hold and went over to Sadiq. "As for you…" His staff began glowing lightly. "The dead should remain dead, only to be seen in the memories of those who remember." He waved it in front of Sadiq's face and he began dissolving in front of their eyes.

"B-bastard…" Sadiq ground out before disappearing completely.

Romano and Antonio stared.

"Senor Heracles? He's not…"

"Did you kill him again?" Romano asked bluntly.

"No, I just sent him back to where he came from." Heracles looked around. "Oh, I guess Gupta left, too. Pity, he was a good mage. Naïve, but good. Well…I best be on my way…I was heading up to meet with a friend of mine when Corporal Cat saw what was happening and told me. Αντίο!" he waved lazily and disappeared back into the forest.

Antonio and Romano could only stare as Heracles vanished.

"…Is it just me, or…"

"…We're going crazy? Yeah…Let's not dwell on it." Romano began walking in the direction they were going before this whole fiasco started and turned back.

"You coming?"

Antonio blinked. Oh, yeah! They had a mission! But… "Where's Lovino?"

"Safe and sound, but he's a little busy…I'm just standing in right now."

"Oh…" Antonio kind of wanted his Lovi back. Romano was nice and everything, but he just wasn't the same.

"Hey! Don't worry about it! Lovi's fine and besides, you have me!"

"Si…I guess we should get going, huh?"

And Romano and Antonio continued to walk.

* * *

"Arthur! Guys! You're okay!" Matthew burst into the room just as Arthur and the others were finishing dinner. He was closely followed by Gilbert who cried out when he saw Ludwig.

"Bruder! You're alive!" The loud German, oh, excuse me, _Prussian_ ran over to his little brother and enveloped him in a hug. Ludwig looked extremely uncomfortable at this show of affection and gently tried to pry his brother's arms off of him.

"Ja, bruder, of course I am. Why on Earth wouldn't I be?" Ludwig sounded slightly confused, then remembered. Oh, yeah. He was kidnapped, along with Feliciano and that started the whole fiasco. "I am not injured."

Gilbert quickly sprung off of his brother, "Not like the awesome me was worried or anything..."

Ludwig rolled his eyes. His brother could be such a dummkopf sometimes.

"Ve~ Luddy! Who's this?" Feliciano asked, looking at Gilbert curiously. he had never seen that kind of coloring on a person before. It was a little weird, but kind of cool at the same time...

"Ah, Feliciano, this is my brother Gilbert Beilschmidt." Ludwig introduced the two.

Gilbert laughed, "Kesesese...So is this the boyfriend Vash was talking about?" He looked cute enough, but Gilbert had always assumed that his brother would be dating someone a little more...like himself...you know, neat and all that stuff. Oh well, everyone to their own.

Ludwig blushed at hearing that, "N-no! He's not my boyfriend! Just a friend! Really!"

"Ve~ Ludwig? You don't love me?"

Ludwig blushed even more. He wasn't used to saying or discussing such personal things in such a public setting. "..."

Gilbert laughed. It was so much fun seeing his little bruder get so flustered over these types of things. "C'mon West! Admit it! You love him!" Gilbert grinned even more, waiting to see how his brother would reply.

Feliciano was just confused. Did Ludwig love him or not? He should, they were made for each other, after all. But you never know with the human heart. Maybe he didn't have feelings for Feliciano...

Ludwig looked between his brother's smirk and Feliciano's depressed face and sighed. He couldn't stand seeing Feli sad, he really couldn't... "Ich liebe dich, Feliciano."

Feliciano's face instantly lit up. Though he couldn't speak a word of German, his heart was telling him what Ludwig was trying to convey. "YAAY! Ti amo troppo~" He went over and began hugging the blushing German enthusiastically.

Matthew smiled at the scene. Feliciano was a really sweet boy and Ludwig was a very lucky man. He turned back to his conversation with Arthur, who was just filling him in on what had happened. Kiku was interrupting every couple of minutes to add something Arthur forgot or didn't know.

Suddenly, a pair of arms wrapped around him. Gilbert had come up behind him and latched onto Mattie before he even knew he was there.

"Eh?! Gil, stop that!" Matthew was blushing as Gil nuzzled and pecked his cheek. On the way to Arthur's home he two of them had become a lot more comfortable with each other and thought nothing of displaying a little affection in public. Matthew didn't want to rush but he thought he could be very happy with this loud-mouth...

Arthur was watching the two with sad eyes. Ah, youth... he remembered when he had been that optimistic and loving. But that was the past and he didn't dare dwell on that. What Oliver had showed him during his brief possession had been enough hell for one lifetime.

But he missed Alfred so much. He wanted the days when he had been a big brother to two loving twin boys. Those days were long gone and as he stared at Matthew and Gilbert, he could see those days grow farther and farther behind him. He wasn't one to dwell but something about this stirred up old memories.

Kiku watched as his master wiped away tears from the corners of his eyes. He wasn't a mind reader, but he could guess what Arthur had been thinking of. He too missed the far past days when the twins were still children. Matthew had grown so big and he could just imagine what Alfred might have looked like if he had lived. He would have outshone his brother, just like he always had...

Matthew saw his guardians' tears and sad looks and it saddened him. They thought Alfred had died during a boating accident when they were younger and had mourned his presence ever since.

Well, that was partly true. What Matthew promised to never tell his guardians was that Alfred was re-incarnated as a guardian angel. You see, a few years previously, he was playing hockey with a Russian friend of his when he saw Alfred's trademark baby blues and golden locks out of the corner of his eye. He was extremely startled to say the least and ended up running right into a nearby tree. Alfred had started laughing when Matthew spoke up. He asked his brother what had happened and how could he possibly be here. Alfred had frowned for the first time in a long while and explained everything. He also had Matthew promise to never tell Arthur or Kiku about his existence. Matthew didn't understand, but promised nonetheless.

The brothers still kept in touch through Ivan, but hadn't seen each other face to face since that snowy day.

**Translations:**

**Keffiyeh- Traditional Egyptian head wear. It's that white thing he's always wearing in the anime. **

**Gracias/grazie- thank you**

**Bruder- brother**

**Dummkopf- dummy**

**Ich liebe dich- I love you**

**Ti amo troppo- I love you, too**

**A/N~~ That was fun. But difficult. And I'm sorry if any of them seem OOC...I'm just gonna pass it off as a side-effect of the AU...  
Do you think this should be a FrUK or USUK? As of now, it could go either way...I can't decide...  
Aaaaand Feli and Luddy confessed their love to each other! It's not romantic right now, but it will be soon~  
Now we just have to get Lovino to confess...God, this is going to be fun!  
Speaking of Lovino, if any of you find it confusing because I keep flipping between him and Romano, just shout it out, 'kay? I don't mind changing how I refer to them if it keeps the story less confusing...  
Anyhow...luv all of you and hope you're enjoying the story~**


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: Don't own anything Hetalia related**

**People… Due to popular demand (3 to 2) this is gonna be a USUK fic… please don't let that deter you from reading this. Please…I promise to do another story that's FrUK, but for now…**

**Don't kill me~**

**Chapter 12- Memories**

_"So Oliver and Sadiq__** both**__ failed?"_

_ "…y-y-yes…"_

_ "…Ravis?"_

_ "…please…don't…"_

_ "How about you send Luciano? And tell Oliver and Sadiq to come here. They need to be punished."_

* * *

Lovino was floating in a sea of memories. They floated by in little streams, each of them a little bubble that Lovino only had to touch to see. And there were lots to see. When one is an immortal angel, one has ample time to gather memories.

Lovino didn't know where to begin. Romano had told him to look through his memories. Should he just pick a random one or…Screw this. Lovino reached out and touched the first memory his hand encountered. It sucked him in and he blacked out.

* * *

"Romano! What are you doing sleeping? Come, Luciano found a wonderful little pond for us to swim in!" Lovino opened his eyes. He was in the middle of a large meadow on a sunny day. It was beautiful; the sky and all the colors were so clear and vivid. The air smelled like flowers and nature. It was warm, not too hot and not too cold. The sky was clear but for a few scattered clouds. Everything felt alive and full of energy. In a word, it was paradise.

He was about to ask where he was when he realized that he was unable to control his body. Crap, it appeared he was just the passenger in these memories. He, err, Romano got up and began following his brother, grumbling all the while.

"Why now? I was sleeping, Veneziano!" Romano sounded tired and exasperated. Apparently he was in the same boat as Lovino when it came to younger brothers. They were okay until you actually had to do something. Then they became a nuisance.

"Awww…but Stefano and Luciano found something really cool!" Lovino had no idea who Stefano and Luciano were. Maybe childhood friends? The two boys had apparently reached the place they were going. There was a little pool fed by an even smaller creek where two other boys were playing.

"Stefano! Luciano! We're here!" Veneziano shouted happily. Romano followed behind his brother at a more sedate pace.

"Veneziano! Romano! Glad you could join us!" One of the boys waved happily at Veneziano. He had the same auburn hair albeit slightly darker. The two could have passed as twins if not for the other's red eyes and wings. Both were blood red and though he looked innocent, Lovino could tell there was something hidden behind the innocent façade.

The other boy didn't say anything, merely motioned for Romano to come closer. He was the same build and height as Romano, but there were a few differences. Instead of brown, this boy's hair was a blonde color. He seemed cheerful like his brother but acted much more subtle about it. And his wings and eyes were both purple. It was a dark purple, bordering on indigo or black but pretty nonetheless.

"Hello Stefano," Romano greeted the purple boy. So that meant the other must be Luciano, Lovino mused.

"Buongiorno! It's a nice day to go swimming, huh?" Stefano's hand darted out and quickly dragged Romano into the pool beside him.

"Waah!" When Romano surfaced red-faced and sputtering he saw his fratello and Luciano laughing along with Stefano. "What was that for?!" He splashed water into the others' faces in retaliation.

"Hey-"

"Eek!"

"Blargh!"

The water fight was just beginning to heat up when Lovino heard a voice. *Remember those two, they're going to be important…* the world blurred and Lovino saw another memory appear before him. It touched him and once again his world went black.

* * *

"Ve~ have you heard about all the rumors and stuff going around? It's about Lucifer and how he's supposedly more powerful than our Lord!" Veneziano came up to his brother. They were a little older from when Lovino had last seen them, about 15 or 16.

"Yeah, have you heard?" Stefano was right behind Veneziano with Luciano bringing up the back.

Romano scowled, "Yeah, I've heard it. And I think its utter crap. No one's more powerful than Him."

"But what if he is? I mean, have you ever seen God? Who's to know if He's actually real or not?" Luciano piped up. As of recently, Luciano and Stefano had been hanging around some of the other angels that supported the Morningstar. Romano thought it was a stupid thing to do, but what did he know. He was just here for his fratello. He wasn't their mother and wasn't going to tell them what to do.

"Veneziano, why don't you come to one of our meetings?" Luciano pleaded with his friend. For the past few weeks Luciano had tried to get Veneziano and Romano to come to one of Lucifer's gatherings with little success.

"No, I'm sorry but I don't think I can do that…" Veneziano was well known for his devotion to Heaven and loyalty to goodness.

"What about you, Romano? Interested yet?" Stefano asked.

Romano was also known for his devotion and loyalty to his brother. He didn't usually get involved unless his brother did. "You know my answer Stefano."

"Awww…Fine. Maybe next time?"

"Hey~ let's go get some candy~" Veneziano burst out, trying to steer the conversation away from the volatile subject.

"Why are you always so hungry?" Luciano asked. "You had lunch an hour ago!"

Lovino chuckled to himself. Feliciano was always hungry, too…

The quartet went on their way and Lovino's vision faded once again.

Oh, no. Not this again…

* * *

Lovino wasn't at all prepared for the scene in front of him. He was in the meadow again, but in vastly different circumstances. The once beautiful grass was now blackened by fie and burning. The skies were crimson and alight with shadows. He could hear screaming and fighting behind and around him. What had happened?!

"Why?!" Romano screamed, his tortured question reverberating through the chaos. He was clutching a sword in one hand and his stomach in the other. Golden blood was pouring out of a slash wound inflicted there.

Across from him was Stefano from the meadow scene. But this Stefano wasn't an innocent child. His violet eyes were narrowed in hatred and the desire to inflict more pain. He was also holding a sword, but there were no wounds on him. "The Morningstar is the future! We're fed up with how we're being treated here! Once we overthrow God, we will be the ones who rule!" He grinned and slashed out at Romano again.

"Ah!" Romano had been unable to evade quickly enough and was now bleeding from a new wound on his forearm. He looked around frantically for his brother and saw him fighting Luciano. For the first time Romano saw his brother become truly angry. Veneziano had never been one to fight but now he was holding his own against one of the strongest angels in heaven.

"Don't turn your back on the opponent in the middle of the fight! I thought I trained you better!" Stefano called out, his sword hitting Romano again.

Romano hissed and returned his attention to Stefano. How could he do this? Was this really Stefano? The same man who had looked after him and his brother, the same one who had played with Romano when he was a child?

And Lovino was experiencing all with him…

The two angels clashed again and again, their swords coming together in a flurry of sparks. Lovino could tell that Romano was tiring though, and so could Stefano.

"It's time we ended this, old friend. You should have picked our side when you had the chance."

"N-n-not without V-Veneziano…" Romano staggered under the latest blow and crumpled to the ground. The last thing both Lovino and Romano saw was Stefano advancing with his sword over his head.

* * *

In the next memory, Lovino had control of his own body again. He glanced around. He was in what appeared to be a hospital room. Everything was white and open; there were no medicines or cabinets, only beds as far as the eye could see. Each one was cut off from its neighbor by a gauzy white curtain. Lovino looked at the bed directly in front of him and gasped. Romano was lying on the bed sleeping. His wounds were all bandaged and his clothes were new. Veneziano was sitting next to him, holding his hand.

"Veneziano?" A young angel came up behind Lovino and he spun around. What was he supposed to do? What if they saw him? But he had no need to worry since the angel walked right through him. Okay, that was a little weird…

Lovino turned back to the pair.

"Is he going to be alright Yao?" Lovino winced. He sounded just like Feliciano when he did that…

"…I do not know aru," Yao admitted. He looked at Veneziano with pity. "His wounds were not so great, so he should."

"But what if he doesn't?!" Veneziano's quiet voice came out strangled. He was valiantly trying to hold back tears and it broke Lovino's heart to see his brother's look-alike crying.

"He will!" Yao said forcefully. "You can't give up hope. You can never give up hope."

Veneziano nodded, "But what if hope has given up on you?"

* * *

Lovino was back in the passenger seat. He didn't really mind this time, it meant that Romano had woken up. They were in a large cathedral sitting amongst a crowd of angels. They appeared to be waiting for something.

The cathedral was easily the most marvelous thing Lovino had ever seen. It was huge, easily bigger than even the largest on earth. The arched ceilings brought a sense of grandeur to the place and the artwork was beyond anything seen on Earth. Numerous stained glass windows brought in light and the picture seemed to come to life.

It was huge, stupendous, awe inspiring. But it was also homey. It was comfortable, like a home you've forgotten about until you visit again. There was an aura of peace and well-being that infused the very materials within the cathedral. Lovino supposed this was the Big Guy's influence.

Suddenly the crowd quieted. An angel had appeared at the altar. Lovino was awestruck. The angel was radiant. He didn't know how else to describe it. Their hair was gold, but with every other color mixed into it. He couldn't make out the face, but it reminded him of every person he's loved all mixed together at once. The wings seemed to be composed of pure light, as was the robes the being was wearing. Murmurs ran through the crowd, whispers at first, then growing louder and louder.

_Gabriel_…Gabriel…**Gabriel**…

Gabriel raised their hand and the voices instantly cut off.

*Citizens of heaven, we are gathered to discuss the recent events concerning Lucifer and the prophecy,* the voice was like a thousand trumpets and the faintest echo at the same time. It was almost impossible to understand and yet Lovino would have been able to recite what was said minute by minute. If this was an archangel, what did He sound like?

*We have seen many of our comrades fall in battle and many more fall to sin. This has been a terrible blow to all of Creation and we must become extra vigilant.*

Lovino listened as Gabriel read off the names of all the angels fallen in battle and all those who fell to Earth. After each name was a brief silence to mourn the loss. His ears perked up at hearing the next bit.

*The other matter concerns the prophecy.* an uneasy murmur spread through the gathering. Lovino was confused what was this prophecy that everyone was worried about?

*It is not time for the prophecy to be enacted, but we must begin preparing for it. One of our best angels will go to Earth and guide the chosen one onto the right path. Veneziano Italiam will stay on earth in the hope that whoever receives this burden will make the best possible choice.*

What? Romano stood there with his mouth opened slightly. He saw his younger brother go up to Gabriel and smile. "NO!" He shouted and hundreds of eyes turned to him.

He was suddenly the center of attention and not enjoying it one bit.

*…No? Then you wish all of creation to fall?*

"NO! Of course not! But I would like to protect my brother. Please, if he is to go on such a dangerous undertaking, let me go too." Romano pleaded with the archangel in the hopes that Gabriel still had compassion enough to see why he needed to protect Veneziano.

Gabriel considered the matter carefully. *Romano Italiam, brother to Veneziano Italiam, I have considered the matter and your intentions are pure. You shall accompany your brother and act as his protector and advisor.*

Romano sighed. He joined his brother at the front of the room. Their hands entwined and they looked around at the cheering crowd unaware of the hardships to come.

* * *

The young girl didn't know what to do. She had two twin boys with her. She was much too young and unprepared to be a mother, but here she was with two infants. Her family had disowned her after she ran away and she had nowhere to go. She began to sob; her situation was hopeless, wasn't it? She could starve on the streets with her children or abandoned her children to the mercies of the world.

"Hush, bambino~ momma's here, don't cry…" The smaller boy had begun to whimper, his amber eyes filling with tears. Strangely, the other boy had yet to utter a sound, instead looking around. "What can I do? I don't know what to do…"

She came upon a small church in the woods. Unaware that it had been abandoned, she rushed forward. Maybe these kind priests would take her children in and raise them. They would have warm beds and food as opposed to a short life on the streets. She opened the door and looked around, but saw no one. The young girl assumed the priests were all out in the market, buying supplies and such. She placed the babies on the old altar and hurriedly scrawled a note to whichever priest may arrive first. The names were handed down from past ancestors. Feliciano was given to the younger one, for he was always smiling and happy. Lovino went to the older one, the protector.

She quietly kissed her sons one last time, "Ti amo, Feliciano. Ti amo Lovino. Don't forget that…"

The mother walked quietly out of the church, praying to whoever may listen to protect her children.

The twin boys were sleeping on the altar peacefully when a bright shaft of light appeared. Three angels materialized.

"Are these the ones?"

"Yes. Twin boys. Veneziano…"

"I know what to do~ Ciao bambino!"

"…I wish you both well… Are you really going through with this? Your memories will be locked away…"

"Si, I have to do this."

"And I have to protect my brother."

"You will play a central role in this too, Romano. Don't forget."

"A little too late for that, isn't it? Let's just get on with this."

"Fine. Goodbye and good luck to both of you."

Veneziano and Romano closed their eyes as Yao began the ceremony to twine their souls with the boys. A bright light flashed and the brothers disappeared.

The twins on the altar woke up, the only sign anything had happened was the addition of wings and a strange hair curl.

**Grandpa Roma POV**

Roma was out hunting when he came upon a little abandoned church. The building was run-down and about to collapse. It had been abandoned for some time, but what piqued Roma's interest was the sound of crying from within. Strange, who would be here in such a place? Surely it is not safe?

He walked over to the building cautiously just in case there was an attacker waiting to strike. He opened the door and gasped. On the old altar were two babies swaddled in cloth. They were much too young to be here on their own, but who would have left them?

He went over to the babies and saw a small note placed by the side of one of them.

_Per favore,_

_Please, if you have any mercy, please take care of my babies._

_Give them a home and love them every day._

_Their names are Lovino and Feliciano._

What was he supposed to do with that? Roma sighed. He couldn't leave these babies to die. Obviously the mother must have been desperate if she had left them here in a church.

Roma picked the two up, looking carefully at their sleeping faces.

"Lovino and Feliciano, huh? Pleased to meet you…My name is Roma Vargas, but you can call me nonno. I promise to treat you with love and caring…Let's get out of here now, okay?"

He headed toward his home, still whispering words into the boys ears.

The twins were fast asleep, dreaming of angels and home.

**Translations~**

**Buongiorno- Good day**

**Italiam- Latin for Italy…I kinda thought it would fit…**

**Bambino- baby**

**Ti amo- I love you**

**Ciao- hey/hello**

**Per Favore- please**

**Nonno-grandpa**

**A/N~~ Dudes! I'm back! There's no one but Lovino in this chapter but I promise next chapter will have everyone...Or just about...  
So how do you think its going? I'm trying not to put too much religious theology into this story (God knows I'm not religious at all...) so hopefully it's not bothering any of you guys... I think this is like, the longest chapter I've written so far...  
As usual, if you have any questions, message me and I'll answer the ASAP...  
Keep on reading dudes...Hang tight!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: Hetalia belongs to Hidekaz Himaruya**

**So we got some background info…**

**And I forgot to mention this, but did anyone know who Luciano and Stefano are? They're just like Oliver~**

**Chapter 13: Ludwig's Past**

"Alfred!"

The blonde guardian angel was startled from his reminiscing by a loud voice.

"Yao! Hey, what's up?" Yao was a messenger angel and a good friend of Alfred's.

"Nothing much aru. But you're being re-assigned."

Alfred froze. Re-assigned? That was new. Guardians didn't usually get re-assigned until either their charge was out of danger or passed away…

"What? But why?" If he got re-assigned he wouldn't be able to keep in touch with Mattie!

Yao shrugged his mind already on other things. Im Yong Soo was creating chaos in Heaven…again… "Sorry, aru! I have to go! But you're supposed to meet Michelle in France tomorrow, aru," and with those parting words, Yao disappeared, leaving behind a very confused Alfred.

"That was another angel, da? What did they want?" Ivan came up behind Alfred, the always present sunflower in his hand.

"Yeah…got re-assigned. I'm leaving tomorrow…" Alfred smiled sadly. He enjoyed the time he spent with Ivan. Yeah, at first it was a little rough (That commie bastard is scary!) but in the months that Alfred had spent with him he had come to be good friends with the Russian.

Ivan smiled back, "Don't be sad. This is just like all those hero movies you watch. The hero saves the day and then has to leave to save the rest of the world…"

Alfred laughed, "Yeah, I guess it is kinda like that, huh?" he rubbed his eyes quickly. It wasn't like he was crying or anything; he just had something in them!

Ivan looked over his friend. Alfred was a good kid, he didn't know what he had done to get such an obnoxious, funny, _kind_ guardian, but he enjoyed the time Alfred had spent with him. He went over and embraced Alfred in a hug. It was the first time he had allowed Alfred to touch him.

Alfred was still for a moment and then hugged him back. After a little while, he let go and looked up at Ivan.

"I guess this is goodbye, huh?"

"Do svidaniya Alfred. Good luck."

"Goodbye Ivan," Alfred waved, his golden-colored wings appearing. He stepped back and vanished with a flash of light.

Ivan chuckled. Alfred was always a flashy person.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooo

* * *

Ludwig was getting ready for bed when he heard someone knock on his door.

"Ve~ Ludwig? Are you there?" It was Feliciano. He was wearing a pair of boxers and not much else.

Ludwig blushed and hurriedly ushered him into his room, "Feliciano! Why are you going around undressed? Why did you come _here_?"

Feliciano jumped onto the bed and made himself comfortable. He wasn't at all bothered by his nudity, after all, he did it all the time at home, "My room was really big and scary…It was all cold and there wasn't anyone to cuddle with. I always slept with someone and I was hoping Ludwig wouldn't mind if I slept with him…" Feliciano looked at Ludwig with puppy-dog eyes. "Please, can I stay here?"

Ludwig sighed. He didn't know what he did to deserve this… "Fine. But only for tonight. You'll have to go back to your own bed eventually."

"Yaay~ Are you going to come to bed?"

"In a minute. I just have to finish cleaning up…"

Feliciano sighed. He was so happy Ludwig didn't kick him out. He enjoyed being in Ludwig's room. It was nice seeing this side of the usually stern German.

Ludwig soon finished cleaning up and joined Feliciano in the bed. He tried to stay as far away from the Italian as possible but Feliciano didn't make that easy. He kept trying to snuggle up closer to the man until Ludwig was teetering on the edge of the bed.

"U-um…Feliciano?"

Feliciano looked up at Ludwig. He was curled into his side and had his arm around his stomach, "Si? Is something wrong?"

"Um…would you mind…moving a little bit…"

"Hmm? Oh! Mi dispiace!" Feliciano scooted back a little, giving the German some space.

"Danke…" The two got settled down again and all was quiet for a few moments.

"Ludwig?"

"Ja? Is something wrong?"

"No, it's just," Feliciano rolled over onto his side so he could see Ludwig better, "I was wondering…"

"About what?"

"I was just curious…What was your life like? I mean, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to, it was just a silly question! Ah…forget it; I've made a mess of things haven't I?" Feli quickly turned around, his face burning in embarrassment. Now he's done it! Ludwig would never take him seriously now…

Ludwig looked at Feli. He thought that Feliciano was cute; he didn't even mind the questions.

"Nein, it doesn't bother me. But what do you want to know?"

"Umm…Do you have any other family members? And what's your home like? Do you have a favorite animal? How about food? Do you like pasta?" Feliciano wasn't kidding when he said he had a lot of questions. He wanted to know everything about Ludwig. Everything about this man fascinated him.

"That's a lot of questions… Yes, I still have family. We used to live in Germany…"

"Used to?"

"Don't interrupt, I'm getting there… Anyway, I have an older brother and my grandfather. My parents died when I was young, so my older brother, Gilbert, was the one who usually looked after me. We lived in a small village in Germany called Wolfsburg located in Lower Saxony. That's located in the northern region of Germany, so it was quite cold in winter. That's one of the things I enjoy about Italy; the warm climate. We were pretty isolated, so I never really had the chance to make a lot of friends… My brother was always better at socializing than I was to be honest."

"That's okay! I think you're plenty sociable~ though that does sound really lonely…I'm glad you had a brother~ I don't know what I would do without mio fratello."

"Danke…We had three dogs; Aster, Blackie, and Berlitz. They're all different breeds, but all of them were very loving. You would have liked them, no doubt… Gilbert has a pet bird; you may have seen him around. His name is Gilbird the Awesome, or at least that's what mein bruder says…"

Feliciano giggled at this. Indeed, he had seen a little yellow puffball nestled in Gilbert's hair.

"I'm glad you think this is funny *sarcasm*… We lived our lives day to day. Our grandfather kept urging us to go to school and become educated, but we never really listened. We were more needed at home to help out with the work. It was a hard life, but now when I look back, I wish we could go back…" Ludwig smiled sadly. He enjoyed thinking back to when life was so much simpler. Just him and his brother and grandfather.

"What happened next?" Feliciano was as absorbed with the story as Ludwig was. It was so interesting to hear all about his life~

"I was about 14 or 15 when the famine hit. The crops weren't growing and water was scarce. A lot of people were moving to other places in hopes of finding food or work, but Opa insisted we stay. The house we had had been in the family for several generations and he couldn't bear to part with it. He was a stubborn old man…"

"Heh, he sounds like my nonno!"

"Gilbert had gone out into the forest to see if he could hunt down any game. He was gone all day and Opa was becoming increasingly worried. He had never stayed out this long. I had stayed up late in case Gilbert returned. Finally he returned. It was close to dawn and I was extremely worried. There were rumors of wolves from the other villagers and I was worried that Gilbert had been attacked. Which he had. But what we didn't know at the time was that the wolf that had attacked him wasn't ordinary. I was just happy that he was back. I patched up his wounds and the incident was soon forgotten."

Feliciano could tell that wasn't the end, though. Something bad was going to happen next, wasn't it?

"It was about a month later, during the next full moon when Gilbert changed. He had complained of an upset stomach and head pains all day, but grandfather insisted it was just a cold. I can remember that day so clearly. It was the middle of the night and Gil had woken to get a glass of water. He walked outside to the water pump when he saw the moon. He began screaming, which woke us up. It sounded like an animal was outside with him; the combination of growls, whimpers, and screams was the most frightening thing I ever heard… Opa forbid me to go out. He feared that whatever animal that had attacked Gil might attack someone else if given the chance. Opa took the rifle he kept in case of emergencies and went outside to confront the animal.

"I told him not to, he was too old and it was too dark. He would never have made it…"

Ludwig looked haunted for a moment. Feliciano hugged him tightly. He knew this must have been a horrible time for Ludwig to recount, "Ve~ you don't have to continue if it makes you sad…"

Ludwig glanced down. This was the first time he had talked about this with anyone but Gil. He had always locked these memories away, afraid to go near them. But with Feliciano he found he could recount these memories without pain. It was so easy to talk with Feli about this stuff. He never judged Ludwig or told him he was being silly.

"I waited for a while and then I went outside after my grandfather had left, determined to back him up. What I saw next will stay with me for the rest of my days.

"Gilbert was nowhere to be seen, but my grandfather was. He was lying in a pool of blood and standing over him was a large silver wolf with red eyes. I only noticed the similarities to my brother later… But there I was in shock. It was dark, but the moon was bright and it made the blood look like ink splattered across Opa's face.

"I was standing in shock when the wolf looked up. I was surprised that it didn't immediately attack. I wasn't thinking straight then, so I attacked the wolf holding only a knife. As you may have guesses, it didn't go well for me. The wolf was leaning over me within seconds, the blood from Opa's body staining the white fur. I knew it was my time to die, then. I accepted it, even welcomed it."

What? Ludwig had wanted to die… Feliciano was saddened after hearing that. Ludwig had had such a harsh life… He wanted to make sure there was no more pain and be there for him always…

"Since I'm here right now, obviously I didn't die. The wolf bit my shoulder and clawed m up a bit, but before anything more happened, the sun rose. You can imagine my surprise as I saw the wolf above me gradually transform into my own brother. It was bad enough knowing that a wolf had killed my grandfather, but to find that his own grandson had done it… That was so much worse. For a long time after I couldn't stand to see my brother…"

Feliciano winced. He couldn't imagine how he would feel if Lovino had been the one to kill nonno… He probably wouldn't have handled it as well as Ludwig did.

"I lay there in shock, my blood pooled around me and my brother collapsed on top of me. I don't know how, but eventually I found the strength to get up. I moved Gilbert to the house and put him in the bathroom. I went outside again and went about cleaning up and burying my Grandfather. I was numb, I didn't think of anything but the tasks in front of me… Eventually I went back inside to clean and bandage my wounds. By then, Gilbert had woken up.

"He looked confused to see himself at home and his brother covered in wounds. It appeared that he didn't remember anything about the night other than the feeling of pain. 'What happened Bruder? Where is Opa?' he asked, as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. I was confused and hurt and so my words reflected that. 'He's dead. And you killed him.' Gilbert's face after I said that was…I don't know how to explain…It was horrified. Full of hate. And so pained." Ludwig closed his eyes, trying to forget. He wasn't proud of what he said, even if Gilbert had forgiven him.

Feliciano had tears running down his eyes. It sounded so scary and sad! He felt so sorry for Ludwig, though he would never admit that. He knew the German would hate that. For the first time he felt angry at the world for putting Ludwig through that.

"Gilbert ran. I didn't stop him. I was so angry. Of course, I couldn't tell the villagers what had happened, who would have believed me? Ad so I stayed at the house, boarded up and only venturing out for supplies. I mourned and eventually made a grave stone for Opa. During that time, I tried my hardest to forget about that night, forget about Gil. Of course, that didn't last forever. But he didn't return until just before the next full moon. By then, I had calmed down and some of my anger had dissipated. I was still angry, but I agreed to listen to my brother.

"He told me what he had learned. He told me about shape shifters and demons and all the legends that were thought of as fairy tales. During the month, he had found several others like him who eventually became our new family. He told me that because he had bitten me, I would change during this full moon. He had come back to help, you see. He didn't want me killing an innocent human like he had."

Feliciano smiled. So Gilbert really did care for his brother! He was so glad Ludwig had someone to support him.

"I didn't want to believe at first, but that night… I shifted for the first time. True to his word, Gilbert was there to support me. He kept me sane during all the confusing. Every minute, he was there. Later I realized how lucky I was…

"The next morning I packed up what little I had and joined Gilbert and his adopted pack. There were Vash and Lili Zwingli; siblings who were turned by their father. Gilbert had made two friends named Antonio and Francis; they were Spanish and French respectively. Two younger wolves travelled with us for a while, but other than that, it was just us six. And we've been together ever since. We've had to move around a lot, too many wolves attract unwanted attention and there's the added side effect of us not aging…"

"So you're immortal?"

"I don't know. I assume we're still aging at a much slower rate, but I can't be sure… There's still a lot I'm not sure about."

Feliciano smiled. Ludwig's story was very sad, but it had a happy ending. After all, he met Feliciano. "Life isn't about understanding everything or being sure about your future, it's about living the best you can and meeting the challenges around you~"

Ludwig stared at the Italian. His words were strangely comforting. "That's true Feli…"

Feliciano smiled and snuggled deeper into the covers. It was late and he was tired. Ludwig's story was sad, but he had learned so much about him. "I'm sorry for making you talk so much…I'll tell you my story tomorrow, si?"

Ludwig didn't mind talking, "I didn't mind telling you. I trusted you enough to tell you this…"

"Ti amo, Ludwig," Feliciano hugged Ludwig hard before falling asleep almost instantly.

Ludwig smiled at Feliciano's sleeping form. He turned off the light and made himself comfortable, an arm instinctively going around Feli.

The last thing he said before falling asleep was 'ich liebe dich, Feliciano.'

* * *

"Arthur-sama? Is something wrong?" Kiku was finishing up his nightly duties when he heard noise come from Arthur's room. He opened the door and walked in.

Arthur was sitting upright in bed, his breathing ragged, "Ah, err, it was nothing, Kiku. But thank you for asking."

Kiku nodded. He knew Arthur was hiding something but he didn't pry, "If you do not need me, may I take my leave?"

"Yes, of course! Goodnight, Kiku." Arthur waved his hand in dismissal.

"Oyasumi nasai, Arthur-sama," Kiku quietly departed and closed the door.

Arthur sat in the empty room for a few moments. He had woken from a dream he couldn't remember to a feeling of foreboding. Something bad was going to happen, and soon.

* * *

Kiku was heading to bed when he heard the doorbell ring.

"How strange…Who could be knocking at this time of day?" He walked to the front door and opened it quietly. "Good evening, is there something I can hel-"

His words were cut off when a large, blunt object connected with his forehead. The last thing he saw a she crumpled to the ground was a man that looked exactly like Feliciano.

He had red eyes.

* * *

"Well, that wasn't so hard, was it?" The man behind Lucian grinned. "And here you said it was going to be difficult."

"Shut up, Kuro. Or I'll shove a knife down your throat."

Kuro laughed, but shut his mouth nonetheless. He knew what Luciano was capable of and he didn't particularly want a demonstration. "Okay, so what am I supposed to do now?"

"Don't tell me you've already forgotten…" Luciano held up a long knife, "How about I jog your memory?"

"Heheh…just joking! I swear… I'm gonna possess the butler, kidnap the Italian, and get my ass out of there ASAP."

"Right. And while you're doing that, Stefano went after that our other friend. Soon…" he whispered up to the window where Feliciano was located.

"Soon we'll meet again Veneziano. And this time, I won't lose." He fingered the scar on his neck and laughed; the sound echoing through the London night.

**Translations- Courtesy of Google~**

**Do svidaniya- Goodbye/farewell**

**Mi dispiace- I'm sorry**

**Danke- thank you**

**Opa- grandfather**

**Ti amo/ ich liebe dich- I love you**

**Oyasumi nasai- goodnight**

**A/N~~ Yaay...the rest of the cast. 'cept for Antonio... So we've now heard Ludwig's story... Did you like it? And how about the mysterious visitors? What do you think they have in store for por Feliciano? Nothing good...  
FYI~ Kuro is 2p!Japan  
Tell me what you think~  
Stay tuned for next time~**


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: I don't own one bit of Hetalia…**

**Uh Oh…What's in store for our friends this time?**

**Chapter 14: Kidnapped!**

_"Stefano, I have a job for you~" Luciano's mocking voice floated through the empty chambers before reaching his brother's ears._

_ "What do you want Luciano? I swear, if it was another piece of paperwork…" (Yep, Hell is full of paperwork. Trust me, it is.)_

_ "Do you remember Romano and his lovely little brother?" Stefano froze. Romano. Of course he remembered the man who had given him his scar._

_ "Si, what of it?" he tried to play it suave, but his brother detected the subtle hint in his voice._

_ "Big brother Lucifer has a mission for you…" Luciano smiled. He had already been briefed about his part and he had no doubt that once Stefano learned, he would be just as thrilled. "Apparently someone's tracked down the Harbingers and guess who's with them."_

_ "Really? Romano's moved up in the world…" Stefano began smiling. "And let me guess~ Someone's got to stop them~"_

_ Luciano clapped his hands together. "Of course! And_ I_ get to meet with the lovely Veneziano again…"_

_ Stefano laughed. Personally, he preferred Romano's fiery spirit._

_ "When do we start?"_

_ "Right now."_

* * *

Lovino moaned and opened his eyes, expecting another one of Romano's memories. The first thing he processed was someone's arm around his waist, holding him flush against them. The next thing he realized was that the person currently holding him was in fact Antonio. He sighed in relief. So he was back in his own body, finally!

It was about time…

"Mmn… Roma~" Antonio sighed and hugged Lovino close. He loved waking up with his…err…Lovino. It was wonderful knowing that Lovi was here and safe and _all his_. But he had a feeling that if he voiced his thoughts Lovino would probably run away as fast as he could… And he didn't want that at all. He wanted to spend as much time with the irate Italian as possible.

Lovino stiffened. Roma. Great, he was even upstaged by his alter ego. That was a whole new level of pathetic. It wasn't anything he was a stranger to, but he had hoped that maybe Antonio would be different from the rest. Until him, most everyone the twins had met was obsessed with his perfect little brother; his grandfather, the villagers, everyone… Lovino had hoped that maybe Antonio would finally be the first to like him more than his brother. The first one to like him because of himself, not Feliciano.

I guess not.

"Get the hell off of me, bastard," Lovino struggled in Antonio's grasp until he felt the arms around him loosen. He shot up and tried to get away from Antonio as fast as possible. He staggered after standing so suddenly and Antonio's arm was there to steady him.

Antonio grasped Lovino's arm and tried to get him to sit down again. "Roma, are you okay? If you stand so suddenly, you'll hurt yourself…Huh? You seem a little different~"

Lovino felt tears burning in the back of his throat, "In case you were too dense to notice, bastard, I'm not your f!$#ing Romano. My name's Lovino, you hear? Now leave me alone." He shook off the helping hands and ran out of the tent, intending to get as far away as possible.

"…Lovi?! Wait…You're back!" Antonio's smile lit up on his face. He liked Romano's company (Roma let him cuddle and hug~) but nothing could compare to his own little tomate… And he was finally back.

But Lovino looked upset. Was it something he said?

Stefano was watching the scene take place with a feeling of exasperation.

***God, was this man really that dense? I would never have let Romano run off like that!*** Stefano stared in disbelief as Antonio stood bewildered, watching Lovino run away. He then shrugged; it just made his job that much easier. And besides, this Antonio fella _obviously_ didn't deserve **his** Romano. He had waited eons for the chance to talk with the angel and at last he had his chance. And no stupid, dense Spaniard was going to get in his way.

He began to follow Lovino while he whistled quietly for his henchmen to dispose of the wolf. In his opinion, dogs should be obedient pets and those who misbehaved should be put down.

Lovino was trying to hold back the tears of disappointment and loneliness as he wandered farther and farther from Antonio's warm arms.

* * *

Feliciano woke up in Ludwig's warm embrace. He smiled and snuggled into his love's arms, content to stay there for however long he could. He loved waking up like this, he really did…

Ludwig felt Feliciano stir in his arms and whispered quietly, "Did you sleep well?"

Feli smiled, "Yep~ you're so warm~" He continued to cuddle with Ludwig, pretending not to see the flush spread across Ludwig's face. It was so cute when he did that!

Ludwig threw off the sheet and Feliciano shrieked. It was rather cool and the cold air hit Feliciano like a slap on the face. It was at this point when Ludwig discovered Feliciano had somehow shimmied out of his pajamas and was now wearing a pair of boxers and nothing else.

"Ludwig! That's cold! Why'd you have to do that?" He was shivering on the bed, his wings going around him to act like a blanket.

Ludwig was unapologetic, "It's time to wake up. We have to start getting home…It's a long journey."

Feliciano's face lit up, oh, yeah! Home! But Lovino would be so worried by now… "Ve~ I can't wait to see mio fratello again!" He jumped out of bed and yelped. The stone floor was extremely cold.

Feliciano quickly put on a pair of slippers and one of Ludwig's robes. He didn't want to leave Ludwig, but he had to go to his room and find a pair of clothes to wear… Besides, he wouldn't be gone long.

Whistling happily, he wandered down the hall to where his room was. Before he got there, he was intercepted by Kiku.

"Ve~ Kiku! Buongiorno! How are you?" He waved happily to the stoic man and continued on his way.

He was unable to see the out-of-character smirk appear on Kiku's face.

"Ah, Feliciano?"

Feliciano paused and turned around with a question on his face. Was something wrong? "Ve~ Do you need something? Is something wrong?"

"I just need you to look at something for me. It's really important and will only take a second." Kuro smirked inwardly. Luciano said this was gonna be easy and boy, he wasn't kidding. Feliciano must be the most naïve person ever born if he actually believed any of this.

Kiku could only watch in horror as this…this…demon lured Feliciano into an unused room and closed the door. The worst part was, it was usuing his body to do so. And he couldn't do anything to stop it.

Feliciano turned around as Kiku shut the door. "Kiku? What are you doing?" Contrary to popular belief, he wasn't an idiot or naïve. He was smart enough to realize something was very, very wrong.

Before Feliciano could yell out Luciano came out of the shadows and hit him with a bolt of power.

"Ahh! Lud…wig…" Feliciano thought he saw Kiku's eyes flash red, but that might have been a trick of the light.

* * *

Ludwig waited for over an hour for Feliciano to come back.

When he didn't see hide or hair of the loud Italian, he knew something was horribly wrong. He went out into the corridor and began striding purposefully towards where Arthur said Feliciano's room was. He was passing one of a thousand wooden doors when he heard a dull thump.

If he didn't have a wolf's sense of hearing, he would never have heard it in the first place.

Thinking that maybe Feliciano had managed to get himself locked in one of the rooms, he tried to open the door.

Surprisingly it opened easily.

Even more surprising was the sight of a half-dressed Arthur Kirkland trussed up like a Christmas goose. He was lying on the floor, a sock in his mouth serving as a gag and a blindfold covering his eyes.

"Arthur?! Mein Gott, what happened?!" Ludwig hurried over to Arthur's side and began the arduous task of untying him. He hissed as his hand brushed up against the silver chains crisscrossing Arthur's body.

"C-careful… They're enchanted," Arthur coughed and rolled his jaw, trying to work some of the soreness out of it.

"What happened? Who did this?" Ludwig demanded. He wrapped his hands in strips of cloth to avoid getting burned by the silver. Within a couple of minutes he had managed to free Arthur and help him to his feet.

Arthur stretched his limbs. Kiku had entered his room early in the morning and before he could say a single word he was hit across the back of the head. Kiku had chained him up while he lay stunned on the floor and quickly moved him to one of the empty guest rooms. He proceeded to gag Arthur and his parting words were, "So very sorry, but I can't let you ruin the plans. Things to do, people to see, lives to destroy…"

"Kiku?! Are you sure?"

"It wasn't him. It was another one of those bloody demons." Arthur turned to face Ludwig. "And we have another problem."

Mein Gott…can this situation get any worse? Ludwig swore.

"They took Feliciano."

The answer was yes, yes it could.

* * *

"Bruder!" Gilbert looked away from the food he was currently eating (Pancakes courtesy of Matthew) and up at his brother.

"West! You're finally awake! Come have some pancakes." He waved his fork at his brother, dropping pancake crumbs all over the floor in the process.

Ludwig scowled. Feliciano had been kidnapped from under their noses and his brother wanted him to sit down and eat some pancakes?! Excuse him if he thought that Feliciano's well-being was more important than breakfast.

"Ah…A-Arthur…" Matthew saw the worried look on both his father and Ludwig's faces. "Is…is something wrong? Where's Feliciano? And Kiku?"

Ludwig's companion was noticeably absent as was Arthur's right hand man. They couldn't still be sleeping, could they?

"That's the problem my dear boy…" Arthur looked extremely unhappy. "They've been kidnapped."

Matthew dropped the pan he was holding.

"AH! Maple!" It had landed on his foot after being on the hot stove and was, consequently, burning hot. Gilbert had rushed over when Matthew dropped the pan and was now trying to get Mattie to sit so he could tend to his foot.

"What do you mean, kidnapped?!" Matthew pushed Gil away and was looking at his father in disbelief. No wonder Ludwig looked like he was about to murder someone… "But, how?"

"Kiku… He was possessed…"

Gilbert's eyes widened. This was all new to him and he didn't know what to think of it all. I mean, come on… Demons? Angels? And now possession? Sure, he was a shape-shifter and Mattie was a blood-sucker, but that didn't mean this was any more believable.

"Gott… No wonder Ludwig here looks like he's fit to kill."

"Gil, shut up…What are we going to do? Can we get them back?" Matthew asked. There must be something they could do…

Arthur shook his head slightly, "Honestly this is beyond anything I've ever dealt with. I specialize in magical creatures and fae. Not angels. Not demons."

"There must be something… An old colleague? How about Heracles?"

"No. All my colleagues are either long dead or hate me with a passion. And Heracles is busy in Asia I'm sure." Arthur looked more and more depressed with each word coming out of his mouth. He had come to enjoy the company of Feliciano and hated that he could do nothing to help him when he needed it.

Ludwig slammed his fist down on the table. This was useless. They needed to take action, not sit around discussing. "This is useless! We have to go after them!"

"Whoa, mein bruder. Calm down, okay? You know there's nothing we can do right now…" Gilbert looked at his brother with worry. This was the first time he had seen his brother so worked up about something. He really did care for that Italian, didn't he?

"Y-yes Mr. Ludwig… We don't know where Kiku might have taken Feliciano or even if they're in this plane anymore…" Matthew's quiet voice seemed to calm Ludwig down a bit. Along with his ability to turn invisible, he was able to slightly influence the mod of a person. Not that he was going to share that with anyone. It was just useful in times like this~

"It would be suicide to attempt a rescue mission now," Arthur stated flatly, "especially if they're in a different plane."

"So what do you suggest we do eyebrows? Since you seem to have all these ideas," Gilbert sneered. He was a tad bit protective of his brother and besides, the Englishman was getting on his nerves.

Whack.

"Ow Birdie! What was that?!"

"Stop being rude."

"Yeah, yeah… He's just jealous that he's not as awesome as I am~"

Matthew and Ludwig rolled their eyes. Gilbert really was one of the most narcissistic people in the world…

"If you two lovebirds are done…" Arthur trailed off and smirked with satisfaction as he saw Matthew and Gilbert's faces turn red.

"Wha?!"

"N-no…I-it's really not like that!"

The two men looked at each other and back at Arthur.

"Eh…Mr. Ludwig? Why are you banging your head on the table?" Matthew looked at Ludwig with concern while his brother merely laughed.

"Don't worry, he does that all the time."

Ludwig stopped what he was doing and glared at the group assemble in the dining room, "Are you ready to begin acting seriously again? Who knows what those demons could be doing with Feliciano…"

"Arthur, Arthur!" Arthur turned around quickly upon hearing the voice of one of his favorite friends, Alice.

"Alice! And Flying Mint Bunny! What are you doing here?"

Alice looked to FMB to explain.

"I heard about your missing friends and I wanted to come and help! Amelia said she saw them!"

Amelia was another one of Arthur's fae friends.

"Really?! Where?!"

"She was playing in the in-between when two demons and an angel opened a doorway. She hid in one of the trees she said. I'm not sure if they were your friends, though…"

"What did they look like? Please be specific, this is important!" To the rest of the room, it appeared as if Arthur was going mad. He was talking to empty space…

"Umm… Amelia said one of them looked an awful lot like your friend Kiku. The other two looked like twins, though. They had brown hair…OH! And one of them had a funky looking curl…"

Arthur could almost hug Amelia, "Thank you! You have both been so helpful! I very much appreciate the information you have given me! Please be careful, though… There are strange things happening and I wouldn't want you to get hurt…"

"You're welcome! And don't forget to say hello to your visitor for us! Tell them we missed them!"

Arthur's friends left with a *pop* and he was left with a question. Visitor? As far as she knew, he didn't have any visitors coming…

Bugger… this was going to bother him for the rest of the day.

"Arthur… If you are done…talking… Are you going to join our conversation again?" Arthur was startled out of his thoughts by Ludwig's harsh tone.

"Ah… Actually…I know where Feliciano might have been taken."

"WHAT?! Why didn't you say so sooner?!"

"F-father… If it was your friend then…"

"NO NEED TO FEAR! THE HERO HAS ARRIVED!" Alfred materialized among the group with a burst of light and a clap of thunder.

And Arthur's world shattered.

**Translations:**

**Tomate- tomato**

**Mio fratello- my brother**

**Buongiorno- good day**

**Mein Gott- my god**

**Maple- Canada's swearword**

**A/N~~ I am so very sorry.  
I can't tell you how sorry I am...  
It's been like, forever since I've last updated... I just started school and I haven't had a lot of time to get on the computer to type all of this up...  
Not to mention I've had the worst case of writers block imaginable...  
So if this chapter's crap I'm sorry...  
On another note, do you all like where this is going so far?  
See you all next time my luvs~**


	16. IM SORRY THIS IS NOT AN UPDATE

Lo siento

I'm sorry

Es tut mir lied

Mi dispiace

Je suis désolé

ごめんなさい

Paenitet

I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry

this is not an update.

I'm so very sorry I haven't updated yet.

This is an author's notice.

my life is pretty screwed up right now and its taking me some time to get back on my feet.

I'm sorry, but until then, I'm probably not going to be updating anytime in the frequent future...

I promise to continue ASAP

I vow this. pinky promise, cross my heart and hope to die.

I just need some time...

Pleas understand...

and don't hate meeee...


End file.
